It's All Greek to Naruto
by shasa
Summary: Sakura never asked to be a goddess. She never asked to be "consort" to THE Sasuke Uchiha, hotter than the hell he ruled. All she had really wanted was to drop by and pick up a change of clean clothes.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto nor the pantheon. ;) enjoy!

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><p>Prologue -<p>

"Do you have anyone in mind?" a woman dressed in armor kneeled at the foot of a gilded throne.

"Perhaps..." the seated man said pensively, tapping his fingers against his thigh. "However they-" He was cut short by the giant stone doors bursting open with a flash of bright light. The kneeling woman rose to her feet hurriedly.

"The time is nearing!" a third man entered the throne room, a lyre in his hand and a golden light emanating from his blond locks.

"We may be blessed with all the wisdom in the world, Apollo, but your words are still nonsense to our ears" The woman said impatiently.

"Using the royal "we" now are we, Athena?" he responded snidely. "I would think that even _you_ would know a prophecy when you hear it,"

"That _cannot _be all there was to the prophecy! Tell us about the entire thing!" Athena said indignantly.

"Us? Tsk tsk, and again with the airs,"

"You- you - blond _bimbo_! Pretty-boy!" The goddess of wisdom shrieked like the owl that she was known for.

"Am not! Know-it all! Little miss prissy pants!"

The man on the throne watched them squabble for a while disinterestedly before deciding that even though he secretly agreed that Apollo was a pretty-boy who cared far too much about his looks, he wanted to know if the prophecy was actually about what he thought it was.

"Silence!" His voice boomed like thunder and the two siblings felt something crackle like electricity through the air. They both paled and fell to their knees.

"We're sorry, Father Zeus.."They muttered nervously. "Apollo – state the prophecy" He continued as if nothing had happened. Apollo shakily got to his feet and started in a melodious voice

"Gods who reside in the heavens above

The end of Your reign is coming near,

Find your successors- swift as the dove

Those who possess that which you hold dear."

Athena cast a worried glance at Zeus but he seemed unperturbed by the words spoken by his son. This was what they had been talking about earlier, and her father had said he had someone in mind to take their places. But would they be worthy enough? She had lived among the humans recently enough to know that just anybody would not suffice.

The twelve Olympians were all present at the semi-circular marble table facing the throne where their king, mighty Zeus, sat with his wife Hera, the goddess of holy matrimony. The other ten all had mirrored looks of apprehension on each of their faces. In this era they had been summoned a handful of times, and each thought this could not bode well for them. After what seemed like an eternity (and very well might have been), Zeus spoke.

"As we all know, though some have forgotten, we are the gods of Olympus." There was a general murmur of assent. "However we have not always been so. Before us there were gods as well, and when they found it necessary to, they stepped down from their thrones and handed them to us as their successors."

"Great father, how does one know when it is time?" Hermes asked curiously.

"Your elder brother, Apollo, has had a prophecy about this happening. Each of you would pick a representative of your own choosing to be the next heir to your titles, but I have a couple candidates in mind already." He said with a faint smile. If anything, the looks of apprehension grew, now mixed with sympathy.

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><p>"Ino? Ino! INO! INO-PIG GET YOUR LAZY ASS OUT OF BED!"Sakura tugged desperately at a doorknob that just wouldn't budge even with the full burden of her weight. She flew backwards against the wall as the door opened unexpectedly, revealing a disheveled Ino glaring at her fiercely.<p>

"Ino! We have school! I know you just want to be a nurse, but I'm trying to be an actual surgeon here ok? Don't mess this up for me, please!" Sakura followed as Ino stomped back into her room.

"Oh please Sakura, you say that every morning!" the platinum haired woman groused, swiftly stripping her top and bottom and changing into something more school appropriate than her skimpy pajamas.

"That's because we're late _every morning_! And what about breakfast?" Sakura grabbed Ino's arm as she made to leave and swung her around. "Ino." She said sternly. "You and I both know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day! Honestly! What _do _you do in nutrition class exactly? Oh wait- don't bother, _drool over facebook photos of that police chief heir whatever thingy. THAT'S WHAT!_" she managed to spit out.

Ino had the decency to look affronted. "He's the heir to a highly esteemed corporation that is responsible for the majority of the recent crime decreases in the city, thank you very much!"

"And what, pray tell, is 'highly responsible of the majority of my recent blood pressure _increases_?"Sakura was met with a blank stare. "YOU!" She shouted and grabbing Ino's wrist stormed out of the house and into the street. Fumbling for her car keys she carried on a vehement stream of complaints about her slightly too glamorous best friend under her breath.

Ino however lacked the decency to even pretend to be contrite, and instead settled for batting her eyelashes at a couple teenage boys across the street. As soon as Sakura slid into the drivers seat she addressed this disturbing habit

"You know Ino... if you continue along that road you're guaranteed to be a cougar. Ok? I don't want to see my best friend wearing a pedo-bear badge." She said breezily. Ignoring Ino's incredulous expression the pink haired doctor-to-be turned her eyes onto the road once more.

"Can anybody tell me the reason for a stroke?" the teacher said soporifically. The class was silent.

"Nobody?" He peered at them near-sightedly through bottle-glass lenses and frowned slightly. Sakura rolled her eyes and said "Ino," under her breath. However she had miscalculated the appropriate volume and the usually clueless teacher zoned in on her. "Yes Sakura? What was that?"

"Um, well, I said, uh, cholestrol clogging up vital arteries..?"

"Yes that would be one of the many correct answers." He nodded, pleased, and continued the lecture.

Sakura swore at Ino under her breath as the platinum blonde ditched her for another "appointment" during lunch. Sakura knew exactly what that entailed and felt a small iota of sympathy for whatever unlucky soul accidentally wandered behind the gym and caught an eyeful.

"Hey Haruno! Did you dye your hair because your favorite flower's a cherry blossom because of your name?" The boy was silenced with a swift fist to the jaw.

"Shut up Haru! How many times do I have to tell you? It's natural! And my favorite flower is the orchid thank you very much!"

"I won't believe it till I see it" Haru said with a smug look on his face and strutted down the hall.

"Stupid parents, stupid name, stupid hair, stupid Ino. Why couldn't they have just gone with a simple "Yuki" or something? I wish I had a different name...oops make that a different life.." Sakura complained bitterly to herself.

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><p>Sasuke woke up to a pounding headache and a nauseatingly sweet perfume invading his senses. He didn't want to open his eyes. Who knew what she looked like. All he knew is that he had been so wasted he didn't even remember what color her hair was. Well he had to look eventually. He cracked his eyes open to a blinding shock of red.<p>

He mentally groaned, why couldn't his wasted self have better taste? He sat up in the king sized bed and looked at the girl distastefully.

"Hey. Hey... you.. get up." He said sharply. Nobody could accuse Uchiha Sasuke of politeness.

"Oh, Sasuke-kun! Good morning!" She exclaimed shrilly. He winced, he still had a massive hangover.

"Yeah whatever." He said irritably. "Grab your shit and get out. Now." He could see the sappy expression on her face falter as her smile wilted a little. He internally rolled his eyes.

"Wha-what?" she said, acting as if she hadn't heard him properly. "Get your stuff and then leave." He raised his voice a little bit, just in case she actually hadn't been able to hear him.

"But..but Sasuke-kun.."

"Get. Out. Now." He cut her off with biting words and a mordant glare. He leaned over her and grabbed his pants from where they were hanging on his dresser and slid them on. Getting out of bed he said "I won't repeat myself. When I come out of the bathroom you better be gone."

Sasuke ignored the girl's – what was her name anyways? – look of dismay as he slammed the navy blue door shut. He was pleased to note, as he made his way down to the kitchen, that she had left without so much as a trace of her sickly scent.

"So Sasuke, Itachi, I will be gone another two weeks, make sure you guys take care of the house alright?"

"Aa." Sasuke said monotonously as he grabbed a tomato from a bowl on the counter.

"Another case Dad? What about the anniversary?" Itachi added with a frown. Both Sasuke and Fugaku paused and a frown tugged at the latter's lips while a furrow appeared between Sasuke's eyebrows.

"You two can visit without me...I'll – I'll make sure to stop by as soon as I'm back." Itachi mentally sighed. Why was his entire family (save for his late mother) so emotionally constipated?

After she had died Sasuke had chosen a less delectable outlet for his sorrow and pain – clubs, girls, and alcohol, and their father had turned a blind eye while simultaneously immersing himself in his police work. Itachi frowned, he couldn't help Sasuke all by himself...his brother needed a chance to start again. Hopefully where he could keep an eye out for him though.

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><p>Naruto sprinted down the street to the beautiful view of the bus pulling away as it bathed him in the stench of exhaust fumes.<p>

"Not again!" he shouted to the heavens. The blond scratched his unruly hair as he stared perplexedly down the road in front of him.

"Do I walk then...?" He said to nobody in particular. Someone tapped his shoulder and said "I think so," The blond swung around and threw an angry punch at the speakers face. "Again? Damn you Kakashi, this is all your fault!" Kakashi scratched the back of his head, embarrassed.

"Well...you know how superstitious I am, and I swear to god a black cat ran in front of me and-" he was cut off by an angry rumble of thunder in the sky. Further distracted by a rooster calling loudly in return he didn't hear the rest of Naruto's diatribe.

"I'm sorry could you repeat that?" He said politely. Seeing as his young blond ward hadn't seemed to notice the odd thunder or the rooster he saw no point in letting him know.

"You! You're always late in the mornings, and I always _always _miss the bus and you make me walk and it's all your fault and the worst thing is – YOU NEVER LISTEN TO ME!"

"Well if you're all done I think you'd best start walking to school. I believe you're already late and it'll probably take you a while." Kakashi said pleasantly and clapped a hand on Naruto's back. The blond stared disbelievingly at him as he made his way back to his Ferrari.

"Why can't you drop me at school?"

"Well god knows it would be unacceptable of me to be late at work." At this Naruto's jaw dropped wide open. And it was still open as his foster parent drove away humming merrily to himself and left Naruto obscured in a cloud of dust.

"I cannot believe he just said that. Stupid Kakashi." He kicked a pebble and watched with vicious satisfaction as it was sent flying. Naruto swung his backpack onto his shoulders with ease and stood still in a rare moment of deep thought. Naruto saw himself as indebted to Kakashi for taking him in after his own parents died when he was an infant.

He was eternally greatful and loved him as a mix of father and older brother, however, he couldn't keep depending on Kakashi. Naruto felt that he needed to start pulling his own weight here. He needed direction. He turned his gaze heavenward. "Give me something, please. _Anything_. I can work with what you give me," he said softly before shaking his head and trudging along the dusty road.

Kakashi turned down the radio in his silver Ferrari as a small frown tugged at his masked lips. He knew that Naruto was feeling the chafe of the self-applied leash of debt. He himself was perfectly happy to let Naruto keep on relying on him, but he knew the blond teen wouldn't stand for it. He resented being tethered, and Naruto was never one to suffer through something quietly. Kakashi only hoped that when Naruto figured out what he was doing he could guide him, however indirectly.

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><p>"God places the heaviest burden on those who can carry its weight." - Reggie White<p>

A/N: Alrighty kids, first chapter. What did you think?


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer - I own neither Naruto nor the pantheon!

OK so here's the second chapter, and the Greek Gods are finally introduced in detail! At least, some of them. Enjoy!

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><p>Sakura brushed back a couple pink locks from her face, and walked into her house mentally bracing herself against her mother's inane chatter. Sakura and her mother differed in so many ways that you would never believe someone who told you they were related, had they not looked so similar.<p>

Her mother simply couldn't understand why Sakura needed to spend what she called the "prime of your life" in medical school, instead of husband-hunting. "Just settle down with someone who'll take care of you and you're set for life" is what Sakura's mother would say to her once a week when she came home practically exhausted from her college workload. A woman practically obsessed with appearances and social decorum, she conflicted with her daughter on almost every opinion. So it fits that Sakura was surprised when there was no "darling you look awful" to greet her at the door.

"Mom..?" she called cautiously into the house. She stood awkwardly at the threshold when no one answered. She then took her shoes off and tiptoed into the kitchen where she heard laughter bubbling from the living.

"_Oh Mom's entertaining...again" _Sakura thought to herself with a practiced eye-roll, as she checked her distorted reflection in the fridge's metal door.

There was nothing _blatantly _wrong with her face, except for bags under her eyes and she looked tired as hell. She knew her mother would cringe at the fact that her jean shorts went down mid-thigh, and her striped tee shirt sleeves were folded over, but really there was no avoiding it. She walked into the living room with only a slightly strained smile and – froze, for the prettiest woman Sakura had ever seen was sitting on her couch, sipping tea from one of their china tea-cups.

Her glossy red hair fell down her back in a cascade of curls. Her brown eyes were warm and earthy and sparkled with suppressed mirth. Her skin was pale and flawless; apple blossoms served as her earrings and pear blossoms formed a bracelet around one wrist. Her white cotton sundress billowed as if it were in the wind. When Sakura breathed in, she smelled the fragrance of flowers, newly formed earth, and freshly rained upon grass. Sakura stared without much subtlety as the women smiled mischievously and tapped a finger against the tea-cup.

Sakura's eyes flickered down, almost unwilling, tearing her gaze from the mysterious woman in her living room as her mouth formed an "o" shape when the painted, pastel flowers on the cup started to move and entwine themselves around each other. She was jolted out of her reverie when her mother cleared her throat and said "Oh Mrs. Haidou, your bracelet and earrings are so lovely! Why, they look almost real!"

"Hm? Oh thank you, Mrs. Haruno, and yes, they are real actually," at this Mrs. Haidou gave a modest little laugh that made Sakura think of flower shoots pushing their way up through the earth and into the golden gaze of the sun.

"But how?" Mrs. Haruno was eager to speak to this elegant and refined looking lady because apple and pear blossoms are well out of season! At this Mrs. Haidou just smiled again and shook her head.

"This must be Sakura!" She directed the attention instead to the unnoticed teen who lingered just inside the living room. Mrs. Haruno's head whipped around to appraise her daughter and she pursed her lips disapprovingly. "Yes. Yes it is." She said rather curtly. Sakura looked offended at her mothers look of "Sakura, it means cherry blossom doesn't it?" Sakura nodded warily, "what a beautiful name! Sakura, would you mind giving me a tour of the house?" Sakura shook her head, "No, Mrs. Haidou it would be my pleasure..." She responded almost automatically.

Her mother watched the exchange with confusion, "Wait! I can do it, Sakura you should probably go and change for our guest." She said sweetly to Mrs. Haidou while gripping Sakura's arm rather forcefully.

"No. I wish for Sakura to give me the tour." There was no smile in Mrs. Haidou's voice, and the one in her eyes had become a little dangerous.

"Well if you insist...actually, that would probably be for the best. I have something to attend to in the kitchen. Well, I'll be going then," she gave a nervous little titter and fled back into the safety of her spick and span kitchen. "One sec Mrs. Haidou," Giving no time for her to demur, Sakura brushed hurriedly past her guest and barrelled into the kitchen and straight into her mother. "What does she want?"

"Sakura! I don't- what?"

"What does she want with me?" Sakura was practically hyperventilating.

"Sakura. Calm down. She said she had a job offer for you. Now go and impress her! It's what you want isn't it?" With this Mrs. Haruno decidedly ignored Sakura's dumbstruck look and started wiping down the already immaculate stovetop.

After making her way back to the stairs Sakura slowly led Mrs. Haidou up to Sakura's own room and sat down on the bed. When her guest gently shut her door, she opened her mouth as if to object, but then thought the better of it. Mrs. Haidou walked over to the vase of wilted orchids that Ino had given her as a birthday gift from her family's store. She gave a meaningful glance to Sakura and waved her hand over the orchids and they blossomed back to life, if possible even more alive and beautiful than before.

She seemed to ripple before Sakura's eyes and it was as if her true form had been revealed. Her hair was a little more red, her eyes a little more brown and her face a little more beautiful; a little more otherworldly. It was becoming too much to handle for Sakura and just as she thought her brain was going to spontaneously combust from the visual overload Mrs. Haidou rippled back into her more watered down form.

"Do you know who I am, mortal?" She said in a voice that brought forth images of tree boughs shaking in wind, and orchards laden with ripe fruit.

Sakura nodded mutely "Perse-"

"Do not speak my name!" the goddess commanded in a terrible voice and her eyes flashed fiercely. "I am the Goddess of the Underworld, and Queen of the Dead as well as Goddess of Spring. My name is taboo in this realm," she said in a smoother voice, though still a little intimidating. To say that Sakura was shocked was probably the understatement of the century. Or maybe the millennia. However she was present enough to start pacing and seeking confirmation from the goddess.

"So you're saying you're Pers...her,"

"Yes."

"And you're saying that Ino did not spike my drink and that you actually exist and are not a figment of my imagination?"

"...Yes."

"And why are you here exactly?" she whipped her head around to glare accusingly at the goddess who raised a cool eyebrow.

"You might want to sit down,"

"No thanks,"

"Very well," Persephone smiled slightly and started her story.

"A long time ago, Cronus had many, many children who then turned upon their father and his fellow Titans. They found themselves victorious and locked their father's pieces in Tartarus. They then had multiple incestuous affairs until there were the twelve Olympians and whomever else is considered to be a Greek God. However after a while they realized that eternal life and all of its pleasures was not so much a blessing...as a curse." Here she smiled bitterly, before continuing,

"The feckless Greek God's of old decided that they didn't want to be Gods any longer and Apollo had prophesized that the Gods would step down eventually anyway so they decided to pass on their titles to worthy mortals. This tradition carried on and once every era Apollo would have a prophecy that told the Olympians when it was time for them to step down." Here Sakura chose to sit down, collapsing into a purple squishy armchair. She placed her hands over her eyes and groaned.

"Pers...M'lady, I don't like where this is going. First of all, how do I know you're real and I'm not crazy?" Persephone stifled laughter at this form of address but it was soon replaced with a look of sympathy, and empathy.

"I felt the same way, Sakura. But I picked you because I know you can handle it." She smiled, "You'll get use to omnipotence and the works. Being a goddess does have its perks, you know," She put a hand on Sakura's shoulder. Sakura jumped and looked at her striped shirt. It had started smoking slightly.

"It..it burns! What is this? What's happening to me?" Sakura gasped out as sweat beaded on her forehead and her eyes started becoming unfocused.

"It's because I touched you with my true form, Sakura. Usually mortals die after such direct exposure to a true God or Goddess."

Sakura couldn't form words at this point and her mind seemed to working in slow motion. "Will...it stop…?" She managed to groan through the feeling of having her blood alternate between boiling and freezing inside of her. "Time heals all wounds. You, of all people, should know that," the Goddess answered with a smile before Sakura passed out.

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><p>"Sasuke. What have you been doing?" Itachi sighed as he leaned against the door-frame of their Uchiha mansion.<p>

"Aniki, hey you look soooo weird...like there's...two o' you or somethin," Sasuke slurred and swayed. Itachi watched him warily, after all, if Sasuke was unpredictable sober who knew what he would do drunk as a skunk. Calling him aniki was unexpected enough; Sasuke had never called his older brother aniki since their mother died three years ago. Itachi shook his head, sighed again, and stepped aside to let him in.

He followed him carefully through the house; it wouldn't do to have him puking on one of Mom's favorite rugs. Fugaku would never forgive Sasuke, and he suspected that Sasuke wouldn't forgive himself either. He stumbled into his room where Itachi had thoughtfully unmade the bed for him.

He fell into bed still dressed, with his shoes still on, and said perfectly seriously "Aniki I love you. You and Okaa-san. I just still miss her, you know? And I know that Otou-san does too...but it's just so hard to accept that she's gone. That she'll never be back with her onigiri and that smile, you know?"

Itachi stared at him, and opened his mouth to tell his little brother something – anything, but Sasuke had already passed out. Itachi turned the light off and closed the door softly behind him.

Sasuke had just evinced his deepest feelings and Itachi felt that he had stumbled on something Sasuke had not wanted him to know. He slowly padded down the hallway to his room, as graceful as a cat in the pitch darkness, and sat down on his bed lightly. Itachi opened a drawer on his bedside table and took out a picture of Sasuke and himself as children. He had looked at it so many times he could replicate it even in the dark.

He held a corner of his mother's shirt and Sasuke held the opposite corner. Their father stood behind them with one hand on Itachi's shoulder, the other on Sasuke's head and was smiling gently at his beaming wife. Itachi ran his thumb over the picture, brushing each of their faces with practiced precision. After a good half an hour of reflection, he put the picture back and closed his eyes.

"Sasuke. Sasuke, get up." Ugh...did Itachi even know what time it was? It was too early for this, not to mention he had a massive hangover again. The LSD he had at the party last night probably hadn't helped him either. Sasuke blinked groggily and opened his eyes, letting out a groan as light seared his retinas. Damn he was going to kill Itachi.

"Sasuke we have guests. Here. In _your room_." Itachi said in a low voice. At this Sasuke was instantly awake and sat up indignantly. "Hey, who the hell told you that you could come in here uninvit-" But upon laying eyes on them all his complaints died somewhere in his throat.

"What? Cat got your tongue?" Someone sneered.

There were two boys in his room. One of them looked around his age, and the other around Itachi's. If he wasn't Sasuke Uchiha he would have admitted that they both looked rather terrifying. The younger one looked mean and spiteful, and dangerous. He looked like someone who would pull a switchblade in you and cut patterns out of your face just for fun. His slightly long dark hair contrasted with his almost unhealthily pale skin. The ugly sneer looked out of place on his pretty features, and his eyes were framed by girly, long, thick lashes.

Looking into his dark eyes Sasuke couldn't repress a shudder. They were filled with stories of torture, and the dead. The older one looked a little more rugged and much more powerful. His stormy grey-blue eyes made Sasuke feel like he was being pierced through to the soul. The boy's white blond hair was cropped short and he had a lazy aura about him. As if he knew he could kill you with a snap of his fingers, and he was pretty sure everyone else did too.

"Friends of yours Sasuke? At least that's what they told Dad" Itachi said in a steely but polite tone. "Your names, if you please?"

"Hades." The mean looking one spat.

"Zeus." The older boy said in a rumbling voice.

Itachi raised an eyebrow and looked at Sasuke who shrugged. They turned to look at the two boys with almost identical deadpan expressions on their faces.

"So...your parents were into the whole Greek God thing?" Sasuke said semi-sarcastically. Hades rolled his eyes and Zeus smirked and replied "More than you know,"

"It's quite a remarkable coincidence that both of you have the same names as two very powerful Greek gods." Itachi ventured. "We're...brothers," Zeus said with a sidelong glance at Hades who made a rude hand gesture at him and muttered "Funny way you have of showing it..." At this Sasuke just stared at them with an incredulous expression on his face.

"You can't expect me to buy that! After all, you two look _nothing _alike!" He said angrily. "Why are you here? What do you want?" At this rude transgression Zeus' eyes flashed dangerously and Sasuke heard thunder rumble angrily outside. Then something in the air rippled and someone else had taken the boys' place.

A powerfully built middle-aged man with iron grey hair and the same blue eyes stood where Zeus had. In Hades' place was a lean man in his twenties who resembled a caged panther; dangerous, wild, confined, not to mention with around 140 pounds of pure muscle. He had the same haunted eyes that made Sasuke swallow and that mocking smirk around his mouth. Sasuke and Itachi felt the conflicting needs to keep looking and to look away, each with rising urgency. Zeus and Hades rippled back to their original forms, and each of them dealt a quick blow to Itachi and Sasuke's stomachs.

As they doubled over, clutching their abdomens (Sasuke a lot less gracefully than Itachi), Zeus said this "As of now, you, Itachi are King of the Gods and hold the title of Zeus, possessor of the Aegis, husband of Hera." At this Zeus paused with a nostalgic look on his face, "Treat her well. Sasuke – you are Hades, God of the Underworld and Riches, husband of Persephone," Here Hades laughed "Hope yours is as beautiful as mine," he said before tossing something to Sasuke.

"That old hag Demeter will come calling for her daughter, so if you want a wifey who can keep the stability of the earth and the heavens and blah, blah whatever, make sure your Persephone eats some seeds from this pomegranate."

That was the last thing Sasuke remembered hearing before he groaned "Please tell me this is leftover LSD" and passed out.

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><p>Naruto lay dozing in the sun as the end-of-lunch bell rang. He cracked one eye half-open, decided that his sleep was more important than some stupid class and went back to dozing. A couple minutes later he frowned, eyes still closed, for someone was blocking his much-needed sun. "Hey bro, would you mind moving?" He said amiably, sitting up as he blinked and said "Do you go here?"<p>

A boy whose physical characteristics resembled his own stood in front of him. He had golden blond hair, eyes as deep blue as the sky, and healthy sun-tanned skin. He had on a blinding yellow backpack with a couple odd things sticking out of it.

"_Is that an...arrow?" _Naruto thought incredulously to himself, "_and did I just see a snake poke its head out of that backpack?"_

"Hey, name's Apollo! Nice to meet you!" The boy said brightly and extended a hand to Naruto.

"Naruto," he said grinning, and took the hand. Apollo, with surprising strength for his light build, hoisted him up. Apollo's grin faded a little as he got a good look at Naruto's face and turned to one of puzzlement. "Do I...know you from somewhere? What's your mother's name?"

"_What? Those are weird questions to ask together. The second one was just a weird question in general..." _Naruto mused but decided to go along with it.

"I don't think I've ever met you before bud, and Mom's name was Kushina. But she's dead now." He said bluntly. At this Apollo's expression turned to one of shock. "Kushina..?" He echoed softly and his face turned sad. Naruto felt a scorching heat and something ripple in the air as Apollo's form was replaced with one of a man. He was around thirty with the same golden hair and tanned skin. This time Naruto could see himself in his face.

"What the hell?" he exclaimed, "What just happened? And am I... related to you?" He said incredulously

"Naruto I'm so sorry I..I wasn't able to see you when you were growing up but I was always watching. Look at you now, you're...you're perfect," Apollo finished.

"Hold up, hold up, this doesn't make any sense. First off – what was that? You just like, transformed or something! Who or what are you? And you look like you could be my dad and you talk like you know me, but I don't understand, Kakashi told me that my parents died!" Apollo's heart broke at Naruto's helpless and distraught expression.

"Have you ever heard of Greek Gods?" Naruto nodded slowly "Well...that's me, I'm Apollo. And I'm your father,"

"Oh," came Naruto's intelligent answer. Then he registered what he had just heard and narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "I loved your mother, and I regret what I did greatly."

"Am I supposed to believe that you're a Greek God? Because it's not really...ya' know…unbelievable," Apollo sighed. He gave a loud whistle and a chariot pulled by huge horses thundered up to them. Their eyes were filled with fire, burning as brightly as the flames of their mane. Naruto could hardly believe what he was seeing.

"_I'm crazy. Crazy like Crazy Horse. It's the only explanation." _Naruto thought.

"I'm going crazy," He said weakly. Apollo rolled his eyes "Why is it that mortals automatically assume that we don't exist?" He asked nobody in particular. "Wait Apol…Dad-" Naruto had recovered a bit from his shock. Apollo turned to him with a blinding grin on his tan face.

"What happened to Mom, exactly?" And just like that the grin was gone. In its place was a look of sadness. The type that eats your heart and soul slowly, but surely. "Read the stories, son," Apollo said as he grabbed Naruto and kissed his son's forehead for the first and probably the last time. Naruto gasped as a fierce burning sensation made its way from his forehead through the rest of his body.

"You are now Apollo, Phoebus, the sun God. God of medicine, healing, prophecies, music, conductor of the Muses…Don't suck up to Athena unless the one in this era is nice. _Shrill-voiced bitch_." He added the last part in an undertone then winced as an owl flew by from seemingly nowhere and gave an ear-splitting shriek in his ear. "Zeus is your father, Artemis is your twin, be good to her, um…what am I forgetting? Oh, right, these are Pyrois, Aeos, Phlegon, and Aethon." He said pointing to each of the horses in turn

"You need to drive the chariot every day, or else they'll get out of shape." Apollo said sternly, "and the entire world will freeze and die," He added as an afterthought. He stroked his sons golden hair, so like his own, back from his forehead in one last fatherly gesture. Before Naruto blacked out he remembered the feeling of his father's hands and how his lips turned up in one last smile. Though his sight was marred by blond lashes as his eyes closed, he could feel a small smile spread in response on his own lips.

* * *

><p>"I've heard it said that people come into our lives, for a reason, bringing something we must learn. And we are led, to those who help us most to grow if we let them, and we help them in return." From the musical <em>Wicked, <em>and the song _For Good. _

Shout out to my lovely BETA Naiya12!

A/N: So here it is, and it's one of the most creative stories I've written. And I don't know if that's a good or bad thing haha. Tell me what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto, or the Greek pantheon. Unfortunately. :3

_italics - _past tense

_'italics in quotes' _- thinking/inner reflection

Enjoy & thanks for reading!

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><p>Sakura blinked once, twice, three times. Then she flew up into a sitting position as memories of what happened the day before came back to her disorientated mind. In light of what had happened, she felt no aches or pains. In fact, she felt better than she'd ever felt before.<p>

Her body was stronger, and everything about her had been emphasized. Her naturally pale skin lightly glowed. As she fingered her pink locks, she noticed the color was still the same cherry blossom pink, but it seemed intensified.

As Sakura looked down at herself, her eyes widened with confusion. She was wearing a dress with a halter-top and a plunging neckline that was reminiscent of a prom dress. It was emblazoned with thousands of different kinds of flowers. Constricting at the waist, it showed off Sakura's naturally slender figure, and then went down to her feet in a maelstrom of colors. On her feet were white peep-toe heels, a modest 1½ inch height, adorned with white rosebuds. Sakura narrowed her eyes in confusion.

She had most definitely been wearing a worn pair of jean shorts and a striped T-shirt. Furthermore, she had not been laying on what seemed to be a bed of flowers, she mused as she scooped up a handful of the velvety buds and let them fall. She carefully looked around. She was in a room full of bodies, she realized with a chill. Sakura fervently hoped that they, like her, were asleep. Did they share the same fate as well? Had they been picked by the Gods and Goddesses to take their places too?

Curiosity overwhelmed her better judgment, which was to stay put. She stepped off of her bed, wincing violently as her shoes tapped softly on the marble floors. Sakura gasped at the sight that greeted her. A dozen people slept in beds that covered the marble floors of a seemingly massive ballroom. There was a giant diamond studded chandelier dangling in the center of the domed ceiling, of which was embellished with mural upon mural of Greek mythology. Torches burned brightly in gold brackets along the walls.

Inexplicably, Sakura's eyes were drawn to an ornate black bed of obsidian. The bed was facing away from her and as she tip-toed over, she studied the carvings. On it were faces she realized with a shudder. She looked closer before clapping a hand over her mouth. The faces expressed emotions of terror, crippling fear, pain, misery, and despair.

"_This…must be Hades" _Sakura thought to herself. She tried to remember what Hades' domain in Greek mythology was. The dead, Cerberus, the Underworld..? Right? Why did this sound so familiar? It was then Sakura remembered what Persephone had said in her home.

"_Do not speak my name!" the Goddess had commanded in a terrible voice and her eyes flashed fiercely. "I am the Goddess of the Underworld, and Queen of the Dead as well as Goddess of Spring…" _

Sakura's mouth fell open in shock. That's right, she remembered the stories now. Hades had kidnapped Persephone and forced her to be his wife. Did that mean…she was married to the man in this bed?

The thought struck her like a physical blow. She stayed in place for a moment, head reeling. All of the things that that word entailed, was she even ready for it? Sakura decided she'd think about it later and steeled herself. She took a deep breath of resignation and walked to the side of the bed to see what her husband looked like. As his face came into view Sakura let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding, yet somehow, she still felt like she couldn't breathe.

He was wearing a traditional tuxedo. All black except for the starched white shirt, which stood out in sharp contrast. Her verdant eyes only glancing over his body before they were mesmerized by his statuesque face. He had skin almost as pale as her own, but his hair was as black as the silk he lay on.

_'I've never seen a man so attractive,' _Sakura thought with surprise. '_Just when I was beginning to think I'd seen it all,'_ she mused dryly.

His noble features screamed aristocracy; at the very least, high-class blood. His nose was delicate, almost feminine, but his jawline was strong and Sakura found herself wanting to trace it with her fingertips. Without conscious decision, her hand strayed from her side and her fingers hovered near his thin lips. She was seriously considering touching him when his eyes snapped open. Without pause he grabbed her hand in a crushing grip of his own and roughly clapped a hand over her mouth when she opened it to scream.

As Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the pink haired girl, memories came rushing back like a tidal wave crashing upon a sandy beach. Was he actually a Greek God now? The idea was ludicrous. However, there was always that one in a million possibility. He took note of the girl's frightened green eyes. They reminded Sasuke of the eyes of a cat he had once cornered as a child. It had looked just as frightened and trapped as she did.

He took the hand off of her mouth carefully and whispered "Who are you?"

Sakura thought she was going to faint from embarrassment. She had been caught, utterly _red-handed,_ creeping on this gorgeous man. She wondered if this had ever happened to Ino, but then she remembered that shame was a foreign concept to the blonde.

"Sakura Haruno" She whispered back. Sasuke realized she sounded scared and almost let go before he remembered how exactly they had gotten into this situation. He tightened his hold on her hand and hissed "What were you doing?"

Sakura gasped as the hand around hers tightened, then cringed as the dreaded question was asked. "Nothing," she said shrilly. Sasuke rolled his eyes, what did she take him for, an idiot?

He let go of her quickly when he heard movement behind him and a woman shrieking "SAKURA? SAKURA IT _IS _YOU!" at an earsplitting volume. He watched as the girl, no - Sakura's, eyes widened and she rushed around his bed to embrace the blonde banshee.

"Ino, I can't believe you're here as well! Who was it who- Who are you?"

"Aphrodite," Ino said smugly, "Goddess of Love," she added and leaned over conspiratorially, unintentionally giving Sasuke a front row view to her cleavage. Sakura looked over her best friend, who was also wearing a halter top dress, but that's where the similarities ended. Ino's dress was a sinful red, with layers upon layers of a satin material melded together, forming the slinky dress that stopped mid-thigh. Her feet were encased in satin red pumps trimmed in devilish black lace, complete with a black bow at the tip. Ino noticed Sakura staring and twirled.

"A bit long," Ino conceded, "and the heels are a bit short. But apart from that I think it's gorgeous, don't you?" Sakura opened her mouth to correct her delusional friend but settled for nodding instead. Out of the corner of her eye she was aware of Sasuke getting up from his bed and straightening his tuxedo.

"Who are you though, Sakura, you haven't told me?" Ino inquired without bothering to hide or disguise her outright curiosity. Sasuke had gone unnaturally still in the act of tying his shoe.

"Persephone," Sakura said, not bothering to quiet her voice. There was no use putting off the inevitable. "Goddess of the Spring, and-" here she cut herself off, but the damage was done.

Ino leaned in even further. "And..?" she asked.

"...and Queen of the Underworld," Sasuke resumed his shoe-tying, seemingly unfazed.

"_So it's her_." Sasuke thought to himself. He touched the pomegranate he had in his pants pocket. Right now he was decidedly apathetic towards her. Or at least that's what he told himself.

Sakura turned around and placed her lips close to her friend's ear. She could hear Ino practically shivering with excitement and anticipation of being told a secret. Sakura managed to restrained herself from rolling her eyes.

"Ino, remember the…sheriff's son or whatever?" she said in a soft voice. Ino nodded violently.

"Well…speak of the devil," she said with a grin and gestured her pink head behind her where Sasuke sat on his ebony bed.

"_Oh the irony," _Sakura thought as what she said fully registered with her friend.

Ino's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and Sakura could practically hear the gears turning in her blond friend's mind, but before Ino could say anything soft music started playing. It was a welcome change from the oppressive silence but Sakura still jumped and clutched Ino's hand. Ino gasped and poked Sakura's shoulder.

"What?" Sakura hissed.

"Sakura! Where did you get these horrid bruises from?" Ino was staring at Sakura's hand, which at the moment was holding on to her own.

Sakura snatched her hand back and held it protectively against her chest and away from Ino's prying gaze. Purple and yellowish bruises had formed on the back of her hand and on her pale fingers.

She opened her mouth, "I was… um..."

Whipping her head around she glared heatedly at Sasuke for putting her in this situation. Hadn't she hadn't had enough embarrassment already! As if on cue he looked up from the floor and caught her sending daggers at him with her sparkling green eyes.

"_What is she trying to do..?" _Sasuke asked himself with amusement and raised one black eyebrow. He smirked as her face almost blended in with the roots of her hair.

Suddenly everyone else woke up. Groggy moans and mutters filled the air; Sasuke and Sakura broke eye contact to see what was going on around them. People staggered to their feet from their slumber. Rubbing their eyes and yawning, they took in the massive, unfamiliar, room they were in.

"Oh! It looks like you've all awakened!" a voice cried out. It was warm and feminine and Sakura instantly felt a surge of affection for the speaker. The Goddess, or so Sakura assumed, was standing on a marble balcony that looked out above the crowd. She was about 5'9" but looked almost underweight, which undermined her prettiness. Her brown hair was short and chopped reaching her shoulders, and her eyes were the same color as her hair.

A ridiculously large smile stretched her thin lips and her cheeks were held two adorable dimples. She was wearing a pink dress with a slight sweetheart neckline, with the hem stopping at her shins. It was brought together at the waist with a thin maroon ribbon. There was nothing at all threatening about her, and she seemed the most friendly and open of all the goddesses Sakura had seen so far.

"I'm Philotes, Goddess of Affection and Friendship. You have been brought here to get to know each other!" at this statement there was a murmur of confusion.

"As Greek Gods and Goddesses, you must know your fellow...colleagues," she said with another amiable smile. "So go! Make some friends!"

"Or fall in love…" a different voice purred.

With the unmistakable tapping of stiletto's a new goddess joined Philotes on the balcony. Instantly there was a primal murmur from the males in the crowd. This was no obscure goddess. This was Aphrodite – Goddess of Love, and Ino's predecessor. Her gleaming brown hair was done up and her silver-blue eyes were lined with kohl. Dressed in a floor-length gown that was shimmering with silver sequins, she drew every eye in the room, male or not, immediately.

"You may find love here, in this very room," she enunciated each syllable with inordinate movement of her luscious lips "…so don't be shy." Her roving eyes found Sakura's and the pink-haired girl stiffened.

"You may even have already found it..." the goddess' full pink lips twitched upwards in a smirk and both her and Philotes left the balcony. The people in the crowd started milling about and awkwardly meeting one another soon after.

"HEY! Hey! Hi! I'm Naruto Uzumaki! Nice to meetcha!" a blond boy jumped in front of Sakura.

"Oh!" she stepped back and tripped on her dress, but the boy in front of her caught her.

"Hey, hey, careful," he said with worry in his blue eyes. Sakura smiled.

_'Finally!' _She thought 'S_omebody with manners.' _She glanced over at the Uchiha with a frown.

"Hi! I'm Sakura Haruno, nice to meet you too! I'm Persephone," she added the last part as an afterthought, "and you are..?"

Naruto's face fell but brightened up after a millisecond, "I'm Apollo!"

Sakura grinned happily. Here was the man who made her flowers grow and the spring bountiful.

_'Wow.' _she remarked in her mind, '_I'm already thinking like a Spring goddess,'_

Naruto grinned back and bounded away to meet the next unsuspecting person. Sakura watched him scamper away like some oversized puppy and shook her head affectionately. She had just met him but he was endearing all the same.

Suddenly someone took her hand and kissed it and Sakura gasped. As the person straightened up Sakura thought she was going to swoon like some character in a trashy romance novel. The man in front of her had black hair and eyes, and resembled Sasuke, but his skin was much more tan. The differences kept on coming; he was taller and leaner, his hair was longer and held back in a sexy ponytail. The first of its kind Sakura had ever seen. She quickly closed her mouth when she realized she was openly ogling him.

"Hi...uh, I'm Sakura Haruno, nice to meet you. I'm Persephone by the way," she laughed shyly, not really sure what to say.

"My pleasure," the man said in a smooth baritone that made Sakura's knees weak again. "I'm Itachi Uchiha, Zeus,"

_'So they are related!' _Sakura exclaimed in her head as Itachi smiled at her and walked away gracefully. '_Wow. Just wow. Wait until I tell Ino about THIS!'_

* * *

><p>"Hi I'm Sakura Haruno nice to meet you!" Sakura said with a smile, greeting a toned brunette with two buns who was wearing a pure white dress with a high pleated collar. Then her green eyes latched onto the bone dagger that the girl was nonchalantly twirling. She also had a wooden bow on her back complete with a quiver with two white-feathered arrows. Sakura's smile started to fade.<p>

"Hey. I'm Ten-Ten, who are you, if you don't mind me asking?"

Sakura looked back into warm chocolate eyes and decided that maybe this girl was less dangerous than she looked. "I'm Persephone, Goddess of Spring, you?"

She decided to leave out the 'Queen of the Underworld' part. She would rather not think about that. It brought up images of her married to Sasuke that she just didn't want to deal with at the moment.

"Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt," Ten-Ten replied with a boyish smile of her own.

* * *

><p>"Hi, I'm Sakura Haruno and Persephone, Goddess of the Spring, nice to meet you!"<p>

Sakura wondered if this was how the gods and goddesses eventually lost their mortal identities and simply went by the celestial one given to them. She was already introducing herself as both, whereas just half an hour ago she would have forgotten about the goddess part of her. "

H-hello," the shy looking girl in front of her stammered, "I'm H-Hinata and, um, Maia G-goddess of Growth and the e-eldest Pleiade." At Sakura's questioning glance Hinata elaborated, "Th-they're uh, nymphs,"

"Oh, your hair is beautiful by the way," Sakura said longingly, gazing at Hinata's waist-length thick brown hair. She fingered her own shoulder-length pink locks wistfully. "Th-thanks," Hinata said bemusedly to Sakura's confusion. The girl acted like she didn't hear compliments often.

* * *

><p>"Hi, I'm Sakura Haruno and Persephone, Goddess of the Spring, nice to meet you!" Sakura said for the third time with a little less energy and a little smaller of a smile. She then looked at the humongous dog next to the boy she was greeting and said "Hey doggie."<p>

"The name's Kiba," the boy said with a feral grin. "And this is Akamaru. Say hi to the pretty woman Akamaru," Akamaru barked exuberantly and licked Sakura's hand.

She laughed and patted his head; she had always been a dog person. She suspected part of it was because her mother adamantly hated them, and so it gave Sakura the satisfaction of rebellion. Kiba watched with a smirk; a dog girl was his type of girl.

"I'm Persephone by the way, I told you that already right?" She leaned over to scratch behind Akamaru's ears and missed the way Kiba's eyebrows shot up.

Unused to dressing up as it were, she was giving the boy a view straight down her dress. She wasn't as well-endowed as, say, Ino, but she wasn't exactly lacking either. Kiba resisted the urge to wolf-whistle and cleared his throat, opting to carry on like it was still a normal conversation.

"Yeah you did, I'm Ares. God of War," Sakura straightened up and brushed off the dog hair from her satin dress. She looked Kiba in the eye and said "Don't you dare put a hand on Ino," then her mood swung 180 degrees and with a grin she exclaimed "It was nice meeting you and Akamaru! He's so sweet, hope to see you again!" and flounced off, leaving behind a confused Kiba and the scent of flowers.

"Hey I'm Sakura and-" "Persephone. My wife," Sakura's slightly tired smile withered a little as she took in who it was.

"Oh it's you," she sighed. "Do we really need to talk about this right now? I know that we got off to an unfortunate start and I kind of freaked you out and you did the same but I'm really tired so can we just go home now?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her description of their meeting, and stiffened as he heard the last part.

He had wanted to set her straight about the whole marriage deal. He had no feelings for her and he was pretty sure she didn't have any for him since they had just met. Therefore a marriage between them wouldn't work out. He had the speech in his head, where it played out kind of like a break-up scene from a movie, and was ready to deliver it when Sakura asked to go home. Or, more specifically, for them both to go home. He looked her over, her bright green eyes were kind of glazed over and her face looked tired too. It could just have been a slip of the tongue, he rationalized. That was probably it, he decided, watching her beckon to Ino, whom she had spotted in the crowd.

"Hey forehead, what up?" The blond asked Sakura while unashamedly checking Sasuke out.

"Do you know how to get out of here?" Sakura asked, despite Ino's obvious ogling.

"No…" Ino said slowly, realizing the predicament they were in.

"Hello," A tall man with a particularly blank face strode up to her, barely sparing Sasuke a glance. He resembled Sasuke with his pale complexion and dark eyes and hair, but Sasuke was pleased to note that he was skinnier and less muscular.

"I'm Hermes, or Sai. I believe we've met before? As the God of Transport and Travelers, I think I would be able to get you back to the mortal world, beautiful," he added looking at Ino who blushed and giggled loudly. Sakura furrowed her brow in confusion. Sai didn't even seem to acknowledge the fact that it was rude to eavesdrop. Ino and Sakura glanced at each other awkwardly. Actually Sakura just glanced at Ino awkwardly, since the platinum blonde was too busy flirting with the hot new piece of ass.

"Hag," he greeted Sakura cheerfully.

Sakura's eyes became hardened pieces of jade in her porcelain face. "Hermes you thieving wretch!" she seethed; her voice became dangerous "I am Queen of the Underworld, how dare you address me as such you garbage!"

"Sakura. That's enough," Sasuke cut in.

He was pretty sure that this wasn't really Sakura at all; she seemed too harsh and angry to be the girl he met barely six hours ago. Of course, the goddess inside her had to base it off of something. Sasuke didn't pretend that her multifaceted personality didn't intrigue him. She seemed to be like a fractal, the closer he examined her the more detail he saw. However, he wanted to stop her before she said something she regretted, because he knew she would regret it once she came back to her senses.

"Oh my gosh... did I just say what I think I said? But still Sai-kun! That was so rude of you!" Sakura exclaimed indignantly.

"_Is it pride? Or insecurity?" _Sasuke mused. It had been a long time since he'd found someone who was unpredictable enough to be interesting for more than a couple hours, apart from his inscrutable brother. "Sakura, didn't you want to go home?"

"Yes that's right…" She looked at Sai hopefully. "I can only transport people to places I've been or seen," he said. Sakura's face fell, "Do you have a car somewhere?"

"I do." Sasuke said authoritatively, ignoring Sakura's look of surprise. He felt a little bit offended that she thought he was just going to leave her here but he quickly brushed it off. Sasuke Uchiha didn't care what this pink-haired freak of nature though. Nope not at all.

"Oh do you now, Otouto? Because last time I checked it was _my _car." Sasuke glared at Itachi who stared back at him. Sakura shivered as she felt something like an electric current go through the air. The two brothers immediately turned their gaze upon her and as she locked eyes with Itachi, another electric shock seemed to shoot down her spine. She was pretty sure Ino was drooling next to her.

"Well if it isn't the little Goddess," he said with an amused smile. "In that case feel free to take the car Otouto," he waved dismissively before turning around and sauntering away.

Sakura let out the breath she'd been holding. Sasuke glanced at her shortly before turning his gaze to Sai. "Kuruma Valet. You know the place?"

Sai closed his eyes in concentration, visualizing it. "The one near the Fuku Mall right?" Sasuke nodded.

"Ino-pig, you coming with us?" Sakura said pleadingly. Ino glanced between the two with a sly smile on her face and shook her head, sashaying off to leech onto Sai's arm instead. Sakura scowled after her.

"Ok. You and Sakura need to be touching," Sai continued with another creepy smile, unaware that what he was saying was making people uncomfortable; people namely being Sakura and Sasuke.

The Uchiha disregarded Sakura's look of reluctance and grabbed her wrist unceremoniously. Sai placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder and within a second the pair found themselves in the garage where Itachi's car was located. Sakura noted that Sasuke was still holding her wrist as he led her to his car where she stopped and gaped. A sleek black Porsche convertible greeted her eyes, complete with the Uchiha family crest on its hood.

"Um… I don't think I can ride in your car, haha," Sakura finally said nervously. Sasuke just looked at her with a blank expression on his face. "I'm going to, like, infect it with my middle-class genes."

He just looked at her like she was crazy and opened her door pointedly. "Don't say I didn't warn you," she muttered as she slid into the passenger seat of the car. Sakura tapped her finger nervously on the armrest and stared straight ahead.

Sasuke cast her an annoyed look and said "Stop that. And put on your seat belt." Sakura stuck her tongue out at him, and then complied.

"Where's your house?" Sasuke asked after a while.

"Um…it's in the Kodokuna District, and I can tell you directions from there," Sakura replied, discomfited.

"Hn." Then silence. Silence. Silence. Silence. Silence. A car honked angrily. Silence. Silence. Tires screeched on unforgiving asphalt. Silence. Silence.

"So Sasuke-kun," Sakura started when the absence of sound became unbearable. She was rewarded with a flicker of onyx eyes in her general direction. "How old are you?"

"22."

"Me too. And how old is Itachi-san?"

"…28."

Even though Sasuke didn't elaborate at all on his answers and didn't ask any questions of his own, Sakura decided it was better than the silence. Even when it became a steady stream of her talking, it was better than the silence.

"Left here. Then straight."

"Take another left into this neighborhood. It's the second house on the right."

"Here, pull into the driveway, Sasuke-kun. Please, come in," Nobody would say that Sakura Haruno didn't have manners, even though the same couldn't be said for the recipient, Sakura acquiesced with a slight frown. Sasuke shook his head, "No."

"Please? Please, Sasuke-kun," Sakura heard herself beg him. She was so, so, tired. He looked away for a split second before taking the keys out of the ignition. She tottered her way to her front door, her feet suddenly aching. It was as if the brief respite had given them renewed energy to complain. Sasuke followed silently. Sakura let herself in quietly, trying to ignore everything that was glaringly wrong with her home. She knew it wasn't anything compared to the Uchiha mansion which Ino went on and on about at school, but it still bugged the perfectionist inside of her. She gestured to the kitchen and put some tea on the kettle.

"Sakura…" Sasuke started. Sakura turned to face him. "I should go…it's pretty late,"

"It is, as you put it, 'pretty late'" A different, higher, voice interrupted him. Sasuke and Sakura quickly looked at the doorway where Sakura's mother stood. Sasuke immediately greeted her with a bow and a "Mrs. Haruno," but Mrs. Haruno stared at them with impossibly wide eyes. After a couple seconds had passed Sakura started to get worried.

"Mother..?" She took a step towards her mother who was still staring at them both.

"Sakura.." her mother finally spoke, "My eyes hurt, but I can't look away…why are you so bright?" Sakura's worry peaked at her mother's distressed tone. She had rarely heard her mother complain. She looked at Sasuke anxiously who looked just as bemused as she felt. Then she remembered what had transpired at her house not even twenty-four hours ago.

_She seemed to ripple before Sakura's eyes and it was as if her true form had been revealed. Her hair was a little more red, her eyes a little more brown and her face a little more beautiful; a little more otherworldly. It was becoming too much to handle for Sakura and just as she thought her brain was going to spontaneously combust from the visual overload Mrs. Haidou rippled back into her more watered down form. _

Sasuke seemed to have put the pieces together as well. His eyes narrowed, "Sakura, I don't think she can handle us," If Sakura had been less worried for her mother she would have burst into hysterical laughter. "And we don't have enough experience or control to do whatever they did when they visited us," Sasuke continued.

Sakura had no doubt who "they" were, and though she hated to admit it, Sasuke was right. Sasuke glanced at Mrs. Haruno again. If they stayed any longer he was sure something bad was going to happen. She looked like she was going to lose her mind any minute now.

"Sakura, we're leaving,"

With those words he grabbed Sakura's wrist for the second time that night and left the house.

"Where are you taking me?" Sasuke despised the tone of fear he heard in her voice. What did she think he was going to do to her?

"We could go to my place…" He secretly agreed with her look of revulsion. Itachi was at his house and he had already shown a slightly more than friendly interest in the pink haired girl. Sasuke fervently told himself that he didn't really care. It was just…territorial pride. Sasuke winced internally as he imagined what Sakura's reaction to that statement would be.

"No way Sasuke. I am not going to look like one of those cheap girls that guys pick up at some seedy bar," Sasuke pushed away the sudden feeling of guilt in the pit of his stomach and instead focused on how Sakura wrinkled her petite nose when disgusted.

"There is one other place that we could go," she said slowly. He looked back into her emerald gaze, "The Underworld." she whispered. "Aren't we supposed to live there anyways?"

Sasuke looked at her, "I don't know how to get us there."

She dismissed his unfailing logic with a wave of her small pale hand. "Just do what Sai-kun did," she said simply. Then stared at him as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

He would have scowled at her if he were anyone else. Why couldn't she just do it herself? He closed his eyes and thought of the Underworld, or at least how he had always imagined it. He was concentrating so hard he almost missed the way a soft hand slipped into his larger one, or how when Sakura stepped up so that she was by his side the wind sent her floral scent wafting towards him.

When they opened their eyes, and found themselves at the steps of a giant black mansion. It looked unforgiving and cruel, with a spiked fence and a pronged gate. But the more Sakura stared at it the more it changed. Flowers started to sprout from the barren earth and entwined themselves around the fence. Ivy grew up a side of the house and made it look picturesque. Honeysuckle hung from under the rock balcony. Sakura smiled and stepped inside the house. She slowly made her way up to where she assumed her bedroom was with Sasuke trailing cautiously behind her. She opened the door, said goodnight, and then closed it again. Sasuke stood uncomfortably outside, not sure how to alert her to the fact that they'd be sharing a bedroom here. She was a smart girl right? He asked himself as the minutes ticked by in his mind. She'd figure it out. He was rewarded for his patience when Sakura opened the door, her face blank.

"I'm sorry," she said and held the door open. He could sense her obvious discomfort from the way she wrung her hands and the stiffness in her shoulders. She was wearing a T-shirt that went down to mid-thigh. It was white with bright green, red, and yellow letters decorating the front and back. Sasuke told himself he wasn't thinking about whether she was wearing shorts underneath or not. He sat on one side of the bed and quickly stripped off his suit jacket and shirt.

To say that Sakura felt uncomfortable would be putting it mildly. As she sat on the edge of her – _their –_bed in nothing but an overlarge T-shirt and underwear, she felt exposed and vulnerable. Not that she was about to openly show it. Sasuke looked like the type of guy who preyed on girls like that. However, his behavior at her house suggested that he actually did have a heart, and a good one at that. Thinking about the incident brought up turbulent emotions of worry, (was her mother alright?) and gratitude to what Sasuke had done. Her thoughts of him caused her to look at him, bringing her attention to what he was currently doing. Which was currently stripping.

'_Holy mother of God. Sasuke Uchiha is stripping before my very eyes_,' Sakura thought, appreciatively watching the muscles on his back and arms tense as he took off his pants. '_Wait_. _Why is he taking off his pants?' _Sakura started to panic internally.

"Um...Sasuke-kun..." Sakura fidgeted nervously with the hemline of the T-shirt. He looked at her and she had to consciously fight the urge to drool at his toned chest and abs. "Why…are you taking off your pants?" it came out sounding a little strangled and Sakura prayed for the earth to swallow her whole. Then she almost laughed, for essentially that had already happened. Oh the irony.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "I sleep in my boxers," he said and removed his dress pants, revealing black silk boxers.

Sakura couldn't fight the blush that graced her cheeks and quickly averted her eyes. She meekly placed herself under the covers and scooted as far away from the man in her bed as she could. Sasuke smirked and congratulated himself on flustering her, as he too got under the covers and faced the opposite direction of the pink-haired girl. Suffice to say both of them had trouble getting to sleep that night.

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><p>"When laying with you I could stay there<br>Close my eyes, feel you here forever  
>You and me together, nothing is better"<p>

-Adele, _Set Fire To The Rain_

A/N: Thank you to my wonderful BETA Naiya12! Could not have done it without you! Also: I thought it would be amusing/ironic to make clueless Sai the God of Communication heehee. ;]


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Ownership? Don't make me laugh!

I'm a little worried that the relationship development might be a little too rushed with Sasuke and Sakura for the reader, though I'm fine with it. Reassure me in a review...?

Enjoy!~

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><p>Sakura groaned groggily. Her bed was so comfortable but she had to get up, go to school, deal with Ino, etc. Then she moved her head so she was more comfortable on the muscular arm underneath it and snuggled into the sculpted chest that - <strong>wait<strong>. Sakura froze and opened her bright green eyes slowly to stare straight into the irritated onyx gaze of one Uchiha Sasuke. She let out a shriek and propelled herself backwards and effectively off the bed, landing in a tangled heap of limbs and blankets.

Sasuke peered over the edge of the king-sized bed. In the process of extricating herself from the black bed-sheets, Sakura's shirt had ridden up significantly and the Uchiha got an eyeful of something red and lacy. Sasuke quickly pulled his gaze away from the offending item and felt heat creep up the back of his neck. He got out of bed and without a word walked to their bathroom. Sakura abandoned her efforts and fell back against the black marble floor.

She could feel the burning heat in her cheeks coupled with the familiar feeling of embarrassment. She was blushing. The reason for the blood rushing to her face? She had accidentally **cuddled** with Sasuke Uchiha in her sleep, that was all. Now he was going to think she was some sort of creepy, rapist, pervert, freak!

"_But…you are. Or, you would be if you had balls," _a little voice in her head whispered slyly.

"No I'm not! Moreover, girls don't have balls! Ever!" Sakura said furiously, out loud.

She could practically feel her words echoing in the spacious room and tried to refrain from smacking herself. Sasuke could probably hear her from the bathroom and his opinion of her was low enough as it was. Sakura sighed and carefully stepped out of the sheets that now pooled around her. She shivered at the sudden chill and decided to change into warmer clothes.

She opened the black door to a gigantic walk-in closet. Sakura gaped unashamedly. She wasn't poor, but she wasn't rich either, and this closet was just ridiculous. But there weren't any clothes except for the dress that she wore last night.

Sakura tried to remember how she came across the t-shirt she was wearing. She had opened a drawer, thought _'I wish I had a t-shirt to sleep in,'_ and the t-shirt had appeared. Deep in thought, she failed to notice Sasuke emerging from the bathroom. He looked around for her and with a slightly confused frown walked up to her. Sakura scrunched up her face.

"_I want…a pair of skinny jeans and a floral tank top" _she thought as hard as she could.

However, the closet seemed to have a mind of its own. A pair of Daisy Dukes appeared instead of the ordered skinny jeans, and the floral tank top had been accessorized with a lacy vest. Sakura raised an eyebrow. Her magical closet had an attitude. Or maybe it was just a fashionista? Well either way, lucky her. "Sakura-" Sasuke said suddenly. Unfortunately, it was a little _too_ sudden for Sakura who jumped, shrieked loudly for the second time that morning, and elbowed the Uchiha violently in the gut. Sasuke doubled over and coughed loudly. He finally straightened up and leaned on the door frame.

"What the bloody hell, Sakura?" He finally hissed, his eyes flashing furiously. The petite woman stood in front of him with wide eyed, her hands over her mouth.

"I'm sorry! You startled me," She said in a small voice, fiddling with the hem of her t-shirt.

"Hn," he said. Sakura took it to mean he accepted her apology.

"_But really what did he expect sneaking up on her like that!" _she thought indignantly.

As Sasuke stalked off, she softly shut the door of the closet so that she could change in peace. She looked at her reflection in the ebony, full length bedroom mirror. She chewed on the ends of her pink hair, and tapped her foot to an inaudible rhythm. Finally she glanced at Sasuke who was lounging on the (she refused to think of it as **their**, as in **shared**) bed who looked delectably edible in a white V-neck t-shirt and gray jeans. She sighed. Sasuke, who had finally had enough of her fidgety antics looked up with an annoyed expression. He told himself he was not noticing how much of her slender, pale, shapely, legs she was showing right now. Did those even count as shorts?

"Sakura." He said shortly. She turned her head so fast, she could have sued for whiplash. "Stop that." He looked pointedly at her foot and back at her eyes. He frowned at her back when she turned around. Why did women need to stare at themselves for hours in the mirror before they decided their appearance was acceptable?

"Sakura." He said for the second time that morning.

"Yes, Sasuke-kun?" She replied with an internal sigh, noting that he sounded angry.

"Why hello Ugly," Sai said with a smile. Sakura whirled around with a scowl.

"Sai-kun, why are you in my bedroom?" Sasuke opened his mouth, perhaps to correct her about their shared ownership of the bedroom, but thought the better of it.

"Technically, it is Sasuke-san's room as well," Sai said, and Sasuke smirked victoriously. Two birds with one stone. His claim to the room had been voiced and none of the woman's anger would be directed towards him.

Sakura looked like she was going to start screaming at any moment, but she calmed herself enough to bite out a snappy "What do you want?"

"Apollo told me to tell you to meet him in the Garden of the Hesperides at noon for lunch," Sai smiled blankly.

"Naruto…?" Sakura said with a frown, trying to remember the events from the night before. Her expression brightened as she finally remembered the energetic blond. "Oh! He's Apollo right? Blond?" She glanced at the two men in the room for an affirmative. Sasuke gave a quick, irritable nod, and Sai's creepy smile just grew wider.

"Well! I better get going then, it's already 11:30!" Sakura exclaimed happily. She slid Greek sandals on, Sasuke rolled his eyes at the irony, and bound out the door without so much as sparing Sasuke a second glance.

"_How does her mood change so quickly?" _he marveled as the door closed softly behind her.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but did your wife just get asked out on a date?" Sai said with the biggest smile yet. Sasuke contented himself with a singeing glare in the insolent God's direction.

"Naruto this place is gorgeous!" Sakura gushed as she looked around her. It was an orchard with beautiful golden apples dangling on the tree boughs. The blond beamed at her and she grinned back affectionately.

"Wow Sakura-chan you look great!" Naruto exclaimed, unabashedly checking her out. She twirled for him and he clapped.

"Naruto," She said seriously, looking him straight in the eyes, "I know you're unconditionally and irrevocably in love with me, but it would never have worked out between us," He cackled.

"I caught that Twilight reference you sneaked in there! The Pirates of the Caribbean one too!" Sakura smacked him good-naturedly, protesting that the words were her own creation procured from the deepest recesses of her mind.

"So what's this about?" She asked as she sat down on the picnic blanket that Naruto had graciously spread for them. Naruto pouted.

"What, so I can't just ask you out on a date without an ulterior motive?" Sakura arched a perfect pink eyebrow skeptically.

"You do realize that we only met last night. Hence, it's reckless enough to just meet with you on an instant's notice! I'll have you know that I had to think for a whole five minutes before I even remembered who you were! A date is pushing it, you know," She said only half-joking.

Naruto looked stunned. "Did you just use the word hence?" Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Oh get on with it, I know you want something," Sakura said.

"Ok so I do have a favor I wanted to ask you, but why don't we just talk a bit before we get to that?"

"That's fine with me, but just be quiet for a sec," Sakura said excitedly, she had just thought of a novel way to use her new-found powers.

"Sakura-chan what are you doing?" Naruto asked loudly and obnoxiously. Sakura glared at him heatedly.

"Jeez Sakura-chan, I think Sasuke-teme's lousy attitude is starting to rub off on you!"

"Excuse me?" Sakura said in an offended voice.

"_I am not like that ," _she thought to herself, affronted.

"Oh come on, don't tell me you don't think Teme is an insensitive jerk!" Naruto said rolling his eyes. He thought her tone was because of his impolite nickname for Sasuke.

"Um…" Sakura trailed off, not really sure what to say. He hadn't been that much of a jerk to her, except after she elbowed him in the stomach, so she deserved that one. Kind of. However, she had known him for a grand total of about eighteen hours. "Naruto-kun, how long have _you _known Sasuke-kun?" she asked curiously.

"Oh we've been together for waaayy too long," Naruto said. Sakura giggled and Naruto's eyes widened as he realized how that sounded. He started flailing his limbs and said in a panicky voice "**NO **SAKURA-CHAN NOT LIKE THAAAATTT!"

After laughing a little more at his little screw-up, and the idea of Naruto and Sasuke as a couple, Sakura smacked his arm to make him shut up as she remembered why she had wanted him to be quiet in the first place. Of course, the little smack produced the opposite effect and an "OUCH! Sakura-chan what was that for?"

Sakura closed her eyes and concentrated on harvest foods. She added in a prayer to Demeter, her Greek mother, whom she had yet to meet. Then with a narrowing of her closed eyes, she pictured all the foods she wanted in a picnic basket. When she heard Naruto gasp softly, she opened her eyes and grinned proudly. In between them sat a picnic basket and Sakura could smell a delicious aroma. She could practically see Naruto's mouth watering as he too smelled the foods. She silently thanked Demeter. She'd heard that the Greek Gods were fickle, and took offense easily, and she didn't want to get on the bad side of a mother she hadn't even met yet.

"So back to the conversation," she said briskly as Naruto stuffed his face with food. Sakura wanted to know how Naruto knew Sasuke, and what Naruto knew about Sasuke, as well as why she was here in the first place.

"I 'ew up wis da guy" Naruto started unintelligibly, and then swallowed his food when Sakura stared at him. "So like I was saying, I grew up with him. I didn't have any parents growing up, but Kakashi-sensei took care of me," at Sakura's questioning glance he elaborated,

"I called him sensei because he taught me so much. It started out as a joke, ya know, but I guess it's become a habit," Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "So anyways, Kakashi-sensei was best friends with an Uchiha, but he died, and Kakashi would never talk about it. It must have been pretty bad. The Uchiha's started the police force pretty much, and all of them are a part of the force. Since then, Kakashi hadn't been as close with any of them but he still went to visit, and so I played with Sasuke-teme,

"He might have been a sadistic bastard, but we had some pretty good times," here Naruto smiled dreamily, and Sakura had to cough loudly to snap him out of his stroll down memory lane. His face became dark and Sakura noticed the sun's rays become a little less warm. "Then, it must've been six years ago, Mikoto-san, Teme's mom, died.

"She got hit by someone texting and driving or something stupid like that. Sasuke-teme was always a mommy's boy, so he was pretty wrecked when it sunk in that she was gone. Hell I think the whole family revolved around her. He got into some bad shit…a different girl in his bed every night, drugs, alcohol, you name it. I guess he was just coping but so was Fugaku-san. Oh that's Teme's dad by the way, and Itachi couldn't stop him I guess," Naruto shook his head sadly.

"But he seems to have perked up a bit, maybe this whole Greek God thing will take his mind off of everything that's been stressing him out," Sakura could only nod along with Naruto. She hadn't known anything about Sasuke. Granted she had only known him for less than a day but as his wife she felt entitled to some knowledge at least.

"So was he always this… broody?" Sakura ventured, trying to pull Naruto out of his thoughts.

He chuckled. "Well not when we were kids, but yeah. I think it was puberty that did it," Naruto said seriously and Sakura giggled.

"So. Why am I here?" she said when the laughter faded into a comfortable silence.

Naruto took a deep breath. "I thought maybe you could help me…" he trailed off hopefully.

Sakura rolled her eyes, "Gee I hope so, but for that you have to tell me what I'm helping you out with!"

"Ok, ok! So I'm Apollo, right?" Sakura nodded slowly. "But the previous Apollo was my real father,"

Here Sakura interrupted, "Whoa whoa hold up! You have a God as your biological father?" She said incredulously.

"As my..what?" Naruto looked confused. Sakura tutted impatiently as if he was the one hindering his story.

"And he said that he was sorry for what happened to my mother. I need to know what happened to my mother." Here Naruto's face turned sad. "I never knew her, I just want to know. Apollo said to read the stories," Sakura frowned. It seemed as if everyone here had tragic pasts, or at least was unhappy as a mortal. Maybe the Gods had picked them for a reason.

"So what you're saying is you need my help because you can't read?" Sakura raised her eyebrows playfully.

"Sakura-chaaaaaaann," Naruto whined, "I'm hurt, really!"

"No but…I'm not sure who I need to talk to, or even how to find them! I don't know **anything** about Greek mythology!" Naruto's helpless expression was almost comical. Sakura bit her lip thoughtfully.

"I'll need to do some research, but I think I have a hunch. Clio is the muse of history, so she'll probably know something, there are nine of them by the way," Sakura added in "The hard part is getting to her. She's the daughter of Zeus…so maybe if I talk to him..?" Sakura was basically thinking aloud, and it would have been clear to anyone that she had lost Naruto. But frankly, he was just happy she knew a lot more about Greek mythology than he did and that she would help him.

"Well I guess we're all done here," Naruto said, brushing the crumbs off the picnic blanket.

"Speaking of which," Sakura tapped her chin with her finger thoughtfully, "how did you get access here? Hera doesn't allow just anyone into the Garden of the Hesperides…"

Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah I was talking to Hinata-chan, she's the Goddess Maia, about how I needed to meet with you, and she offered to get this place for me. It's funny though, you would've thought someone would choose this for a **date, **not a meeting,"

Sakura quenched the urge to reach over and smack him. If Hinata was willing to brave the wrath of Hera, who was a jealous shrew by nature, for Naruto, then there was something else going on there that he was obviously too dense to see. Sakura settled for rolling her eyes, something she found herself doing more and more often.

"Hinata-chan is the eldest of the Pleiades, who are sisters to the Hesperides, so she probably convinced them to open the Garden for a bit…" She had lost Naruto yet again in her extensive knowledge of Greek mythology. "This is such a rare opportunity…" Sakura whispered as she got up to admire the golden apples on the trees of the orchard. As she reached out to touch one both of the Gods heard a threatening roar.

"What was that? Sakura?" Naruto said, concerned. Sakura had frozen, her hand still outstretched towards the gleaming fruit.

She suddenly paled and clutched Naruto's arm. "Naruto – we need to get out of here." She ignored his complaint of "What no kun?" and said, "Take us to Olympus! NOW!" Her voice was climbing the octaves with every word and Naruto did what she said.

When Sakura realized they were on Olympus, and not in the Garden of the Hesperides she relaxed and loosened her grip on Naruto's arm. He winced, "that's definitely gonna bruise,"

"Sorry," she said, "It's just that the Hesperides are there to guard the Garden so nobody eats the fruit, but Hera, being the suspicious nag that she is, didn't trust them. So she also assigned Ladon to the job," Naruto looked confused again,

"Who's Ladon..?"

"Oh only a hundred–headed, never-sleeping dragon, that's what. Now can you excuse me for panicking?" She asked indignantly.

"Why would Hinata-chan send us there then?" Naruto said with a frown on his tan face.

"Naruto, she would never do it on purpose, she must not have known. Believe me," Sakura said earnestly. "Now, I've gotta go, but I'll look into Clio for you!"

"Thanks Sakura-chan you're the best!" Naruto gave her a quick bear hug. "Can you get back to the Underworld on your own, or should I call Sai to take you?" Sakura's expression quickly soured at the mention of the insensitive God.

"Uh, I think I'm good. But don't laugh if I just end up looking stupid!"

"Oh Sakura-chan, you know I will," Naruto said, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

Sakura closed her eyes and thought of the Underworld. She wasn't sure if she actually had the power to transport herself but she would rather look like a fool in front of Naruto than in front of Sasuke, who was probably already convinced she was mentally challenged. She opened her eyes and a self-satisfied grin spread across her face. In front of her stood an ominous black house wreathed in flowers.

"_Underworld, Sweet Underworld," _Sakura said wryly to herself.

The pronged gate swung open silently, though Sakura thought it would have been less eerie if there were some creaking and groaning. She gaped as the front door opened as well and a huge three-headed black dog ran out to greet her. She was a dog person, that much was true, but this was a little much for even her.

Sasuke stood at the door with his arms crossed, smirking. She knew why as the dog bowled into her and knocked her violently to the ground. The hell-hound stood over her panting happily and licking her face. Sakura laughed a little and pushed the huge canine off. Now that it was behaving like a normal dog, she was chill with it. '_This must be Cerberus,' _she thought, quickly putting the pieces together.

"You bastard…" she muttered as she got to her feet and brushed herself off, "Naruto was right about you!" Sasuke's smirk quickly became a scowl.

"But you're a good boy, Cerberus, aren't you?" Sakura cooed as she scratched under the dog's chin. Well, one of them. She took note of the pink Rhine-stoned collar it sported and snorted in an unladylike manner.

"Sasuke-kun, what kind of a collar is this for a male dog? A hell-hound, no less," She said

"Sakura…I thought you would have noticed," Sasuke's smirk came back in full force, "it's a girl,"

Sakura just stared at him and then at Cerberus who was happily digging up one of her rhododendron bushes.

Pursing her lips Sakura shouldered her way past him as he blocked the doorway and stomped up to their bedroom. Brushing her teeth in the bathroom, she heard the door open and close quietly.

"Sa'uke-kun?" She called out, toothbrush still in her mouth. "Aa," was the response she got. She rolled her eyes for what had to be the eighteenth time in the last twenty-four hours.

"I 'eeda talk to your b'other tomo'ow" Silence… Sakura spat out all of the toothpaste in the sink. "Sasuke-kun?" she called out hesitantly.

"And I care…why?" She stuck her head out of the bathroom door, bewildered at his sudden animosity towards her. He glared at her and she squeaked, withdrawing her head. Sasuke almost felt bad…he hadn't wanted to scare her **that **badly. Why was he in such a bad mood? He groaned and threw his balled up shirt at the door.

"_I can't believe I squeaked! But those abs….*sigh* Oh my GOD, Sasuke-kun is so hot. But his glare was so scary!" _Sakura touched her face and was reminded of all the dog slobber that was still on it.

She made a disgusted face. "Sasuke-kun I'm going to take a shower but you can use the bathroom!" She announced. She got into the shower and was pleased to see that there was a plethora of soaps and shampoos, all florally scented, for her to use. She hummed happily. Overall, it had been a good day. As she thought back to her conversation with Naruto, she was astounded at how comfortable she was with him. He was like… Sakura tapped her chin thoughtfully with a soapy finger. He was like a brother. It was an instantaneous connection. A right good change from Sasuke. Sakura scowled angrily at the glistening tiles opposite her. Sasuke was just so distant all the time. She ticked off all his faults on her fingers: he didn't talk, he didn't smile, he didn't laugh. She had yet to discover whether he cooked but she doubted it.

At this point her train of thought started to focus on Sasuke's brother. She bet _he _smiled. Well, she'd find out tomorrow when she visited him. She made a mental note to make sure to talk to Itachi-san about Clio…that man had a way of sweeping her off her feet. Her thoughts began drifting back to Sasuke. What made him so irritable? She had just mentioned his brother! Were they really on that bad terms with each other? She sighed, the Uchiha brothers were just too much to handle for one woman/goddess.

Sasuke slouched into the bathroom. He brushed his teeth and washed his face with almost robotic precision but when he turned to leave, he was caught unawares. Sakura's silhouette was painfully apparent behind the flimsy partition that separated them. Sasuke felt his throat go dry. He swallowed with difficulty, feeling his Adam's apple bob, and hastily left.

As he climbed into bed the image of Sakura's outline bathing replayed itself over and over again in his mind's eye. He punched his pillow in frustration. When Sakura finally emerged from the steaming bathroom in a pair of cotton shorts, too short for Sasuke's comfort, and a tank top he rolled over and feigned sleep. As she turned off the light and silently got into bed, he couldn't help but savor the scent of roses that enveloped her.

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><p>"Jealousy is nothing more than a fear of abandonment."<p>

A/N: And Sasuke's hormones make their first appearance! Ta-daaahh! BIIIIIIG thanks to Naiya12 my awesome BETA!

Trivia/Review Question: In this fic, who would Naruto's twin be?


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto! :)

The Best Review Award goes to *drumrollll* -

Germprince – Danke ;)

-and-

Shubhs – Thanks to you too!

All other reviews were appreciated greatly as well!

Congratulations to Girlalicious for getting the trivia question right!

And thank you to Naiya12 for her awesometastic betaing!

Sorry for OOC Konan...I just needed someone to be Hera! So I took Konan and gave her Hera's personality... I don't even know if I approve of Konan x Itachi in the first place. There's gonna be some kind of weird pairings in this fic, just letting you guys know.

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><p>Sasuke rubbed his eyes tiredly as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. He checked his watch – 5:29 and gave an exhausted and barely audible sigh. Somehow, he could never wake up later than 6. The Uchiha glanced over at the other side of the bed where Sakura's petite form lay curled up in the sheets. The slight rising and falling of the sheets alerted him that she was present, but dead to the world. A small frown tugged at his lips. There were multiple reasons he doubted his sanity at the moment. The first being that, according to his memory, two strangers had come into his room, changed their appearance at will, claimed to be two Greek Gods, and told him that now he was a Greek God too.<p>

The second reason why he should be suspicious of the situation was the emerald-eyed woman currently in his bed. What kind of lunatic would accept that they were suddenly a Greek God? Especially without some kind of protest or demands of an explanation. Her reaction was too bizarre for this situation to be realistic. He steepled his index fingers under his nose thoughtfully. Sasuke had "played along" for the first day, expecting to wake up any second. When he went to sleep the night before, he was 100 percent sure that it was the end of a bizarrely lucid dream. But it had been long enough. Sasuke was determined to figure out what exactly was going on.

Sakura rolled over in bed, and her eyes snapped open immediately. She was hyper-aware of Sasuke's missing body. Or more specifically, the warmth that his body provided. She shivered slightly and sat up, pulling the sheets around her.

"Sakura," Sasuke said in his smooth baritone.

Sakura turned to see him emerge from the bathroom towelling his spiky hair. He looked clean, smelled like freshly applied cologne, and was absolutely drool-worthy. Sakura had to concentrate very hard not to let her mouth hang open. She started to feel uncomfortable under his inscrutable gaze. Just as she was about to say something to break the awkward silence he shook his head slightly and said "...never mind,"

Sakura watched him walk away and shrugged her shoulders. She pegged it as one of his weird habits. As Sakura brushed her teeth, she made a mental list of what needed to be done that day. Visit Itachi about Clio, and try to resist seduction while there. A thought struck her and she made a face at herself in the mirror. She should probably visit her mother. That meant thinking up an excuse and cover story. Sakura wasn't sure whether she could fully control her 'true form' but she figured she had gotten used enough to her new godly form. Assuming the last two days weren't all some sort of hallucination, of course.

She got dressed a little quicker that morning, without Sasuke in the bedroom as a distraction. Sakura beamed at her reflection in the full-length mirror. With a pair of black skinny jeans and a white tank top she looked casual and...the goofy grin slid off her face and her shoulders slumped. She didn't look off-limits at all, which would be the image she would like to present to Itachi. She sighed in resignation and put on a pair of shiny grey pumps so she didn't feel too sloppy. After pulling her hair into a high ponytail and pulling on a black zip-up hoodie, she marched out the door and tried not to dread the coming day.

Sakura rang the doorbell of an imposing white house on Olympus. A couple minor Gods and spirits had glanced at her curiously, but she didn't seem to be doing anything completely taboo. As whomever Itachi sent to open the door was taking their sweet time, she admired the beautiful mansion. It was white and built in the classic Greek style, with massive pillars supporting a triangular roof. The door opened and Sakura was greeted by a woman a couple inches taller than herself. Her hair was blue, and her eyes were a striking grey highlighted with blue eye shadow. In her hair was an orange pomegranate flower. When the woman narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips Sakura remembered why she was there.

"Hello, my name is Haruno Sakura; I'm here to see Itachi-san,"

"What for? Who are you really?" The woman asked quickly. Sakura blinked.

"I need to ask the whereabouts of someone," She said cautiously.

The thought had just occurred to Sakura that this was probably Hera, which meant that she needed to think carefully about what she was saying. Even a mention of one of Zeus' illegitimate children could tip her over the edge. "I'm Persephone," Hera's eyes flashed and Sakura wondered what she'd said wrong.

"Tell me Sakura, do you know of your Greek parentage?" Hera inquired,

"No..." Sakura said slowly. "All I know is that my mother was, is, Demeter,"

She frowned. For the life of her she couldn't remember who had fathered Persephone. Hera eyed her beadily for a moment then suddenly smiled and ushered her inside like an old friend.

"So you're married aren't you! To Hades, no less," She said warmly.

Sakura smiled awkwardly and wondered what had prompted the sudden mood swing. "Call me Konan," were the other woman's words as she gestured towards a plush chair in what seemed to be the living room.

Sakura sat down and craned her neck to look at all of the nice furnishings the house had. The chair was satin and a beautiful peacock, blue. There was a roaring fireplace, and though Sakura hadn't noticed it being cold outside, she felt pleasantly warm. Porcelain figurines lined the mantelpiece which was carved from glittering marble. As Sakura started to feel bored and restless the echo of footsteps alerted Sakura to the fact that Hera was back, Itachi with her. They seemed to be arguing over something, well mostly Konan arguing with Itachi who looked mildly bored. As soon as Konan saw that Sakura was looking at them she stopped.

"Konan-san you didn't have to," Sakura protested as she saw the tray full of food in Konan's arms.

"Sakura-san," she turned as she heard Itachi's smooth voice greet her. She willed herself not to blush at the way he said her name. "Itachi-san," she replied somewhat stiffly.

"Pomegranate, Sakura-chan?" Konan asked loudly, interrupting their exchange. Sakura's mouth watered at the garnet-like pomegranate seeds that lay in ornate metal bowls on the gleaming porcelain.

"Thank you so much Konan-san! Pomegranate is my favorite fruit!" Sakura said happily. Konan gave a tinkling laugh. "Well you would know that celestial pomegranate is the best!"

"Oh no, I haven't had celestial pomegranate before," Sakura admitted. Konan gave her an odd look before giving Itachi a small frown.

"Well Sakura-san," A shiver ran down her back as she met his dark eyes. A small smirk danced around his lips as he bent over to take a pomegranate seed at the same time as Sakura, intentionally gliding his fingertips across her wrist before grabbing a piece. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" Konan huffed and stormed off haughtily.

"Have I offended Konan-san in some way?" Sakura blurted out worriedly, a concerned frown creasing her forehead.

"No..." Itachi said slowly, "Not directly, per se," He languidly started pacing on the marble floor. "Tell me Sakura-san, what do you know of your Greek parentage?"

Sakura looked up at him, startled. "Konan-san asked me the same thing," Itachi nodded as if affirming something.

"Let's start at the beginning. Before the Gods, there were the Titans," Here he paused and Sakura nodded. "The Titans were Zeus' parents, as well as Hera's, Hades', and Poseidon's, to name a few. Technically, Hera and Zeus are siblings, but they are still consorts. Hera is the goddess of marriage and fertility, so promiscuity is, in her eyes, sin. Zeus, however, did nothing but have affairs left, right, and center. He and Demeter had an affair once," here he looked straight at Sakura who looked confused.

"No!" Sakura almost yelled as she put the pieces together in her mind.

Itachi nodded. "So Zeus is your father. Now, Sakura-san. What does that make Hades...?"

Sakura practically leapt out of her chair as she shouted "My uncle?" incredulously.

Sakura was disgusted but tickled at the same time. To imagine that Sasuke was technically her uncle! Laughter bubbled up in her stomach and she reminded herself that she was on a mission. Sakura got up out of her chair as well and knotted her hands in front of her stomach. "As...fascinating as the relationships between the ancient Gods are, I have something to ask you,"

"Sakura-san, I think the real word you're looking for here is disturbing," he said in an amused tone. "It's ok, it's disconcerting and discomforting to me too," here he laughed softly.

Sakura smiled a little more sincerely. "_Why couldn't I have been married to him instead?" _her inner complained.

"Well Itachi-san...you're right, Zeus did have a lot of affairs," Itachi raised an eyebrow.

Sakura turned crimson and sputtered, "What I mean to say is- is- you have a child! And I need to find her!"

Sakura looked mortified at her flustered outburst. Itachi smirked and walked closer to her. He was so close to her that she had to look up to see his face. She swallowed. He was a little too close for comfort. He bent down so that his breathing tickled her ear and stirred her pink locks.

"Sakura-san, you're cute," He whispered.

Sakura blushed from the bottom of her chin to the roots of her pink hair and stammered out a "Th-th-thank you!"  
>Itachi gracefully moved back to his previous position. "Now who is this child of mine you need to find?" He said with another charming smirk. Sakura painstakingly looked at a point over his shoulder. "Her name is Clio, she's one of the muses, and I need to find her for Apollo," she said, hoping that she didn't sound too breathy from their earlier interaction.<p>

"The muse of history," Itachi said, turning to face the fireplace. Sakura waited with bated breath, praying that he knew where Clio was. "I'm afraid I cannot find her for you," Sakura let out her breath in a disappointed huff. This had been her last hope, since she didn't know where to find the Muses' mother, Mnemosyne. She scowled at the tray of pomegranates in front of her.

"But I can help you find her," he said as he turned around with a slight smile. "The muse of history," Itachi repeated, "comes to those lovers of history,"

Sakura pursed her lips thoughtfully. "This won't be easy," she murmured to herself seriously. "Itachi-san, one more question," He looked at her and waited for her to continue.

"Do you think...do you think we're really the Gods and Goddesses now?" Sakura said hesitantly. "I mean...doesn't it sound just a little bit far-fetched and utterly unbelievable?"

Itachi nodded. "It does, Sakura-san. But as time goes on I'm sure we'll get used to it, or if it's a dream we'll wake up."

Sakura looked at him for a moment as if deciding something. Then she turned to leave, changed her mind and hurried back towards him. Itachi looked mildly interested in her actions. She swung her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek before running out the door.

"Thank you!" She called as she left.

Itachi lifted his hand to his cheek in surprise before turning to face his furious "wife" who had her hands on her hips.

"What was that?" She shrieked, "I had Pagó̱ni watching you from the banister!" Here she pointed to the stairs where a bored looking peacock sat perched on the railing, "and he told me that little _slut_ kissed you!"

Itachi rolled his eyes. "Don't you think it's a little cruel to name your peacock peacock in Greek? And she kissed me on the cheek, it wasn't what you're thinking, Konan-chan. After all, she is my daughter," He monotoned. She glared at him fiercely.

"You're mine, Zeus! Remember that!" she shouted before dragging him up the stairs and into the bedroom. Itachi gave a long-suffering sigh as she slammed the door shut behind them.

Sakura took a deep breath outside of Itachi and Konan's house. She had just kissed him on the cheek! Her inner went wild and whipped out the confetti but Sakura groaned. Hera would probably go ballistic because of her impulsive actions. She closed her eyes and concentrated on her house in the mortal world. It was time to visit her mother.

* * *

><p>Sakura looked apprehensively at the non-threatening, pastel pink house on 52nd street NE, second house on the right, Kodokuna district. She gave herself a quick once-over, and then remembered that she needed to somehow tone down her appearance for her mother. She concentrated on her life before Persephone had visited her. Ino, medical school, driving her car, everyone who made fun of her hair, anything that grounded her to the mortal world. She chanced a quick look at her hands. Already they were losing the glow that they had acquired in the celestial world. Sakura briefly wondered if she was maybe just going crazy then chastised herself for having such pointless thoughts.<p>

She opened the door to her house with the keys she had somehow remembered to grab on her way out. She could hear her mother in the kitchen. Sakura walked to the kitchen, wondering why her mother hadn't come out yet. As she walked in and her mother turned around, surprise evident on her features. Sakura waited for the recognition to appear along with a healthy dose of indignation, usually at her state of dress, however, after a couple of seconds it was apparent that the only change to her mother's expression was polite confusion.

"I'm sorry…did I leave the front door open? And, if you don't mind me asking, why are you here?" Her mom said in a polite voice wiping her floury hands on a washcloth. Sakura was lost for words. What was her mother playing at?

"Um…that's an odd way to greet your daughter…" Sakura said bemusedly.

"I'm sorry," Mrs. Haruno looked confused, "you must have me confused with someone else. I don't have a daughter. Truthfully, it's something that I'd always wanted," she added. Sakura's eyes widened.

Memory loss? What happened to her mother when she was gone? Sakura walked into the living room where she knew a picture of her and her mother at the aquarium was framed on the mantelpiece. The picture was there, and so was her mother in the photo, but her image was gone. Sakura's eyes narrowed. This was not a coincidence. This had something to do with her being a goddess.

"Pardon me, but do I know you? You look so familiar, but I just can't quite put my finger on it,"

Sakura put on a strained smile as she turned to face her mother. "No, I'm sorry, I must have the wrong woman," she said softly as she walked out the door. She hesitated at the threshold.

"Do you have a guest bedroom I could see, by any chance?" She inquired, hoping her mother would acquiesce to the strange request.

"Yes," Mrs. Haruno looked at Sakura oddly, "Right this way," she gestured to what used to be Sakura's room.

Sakura swallowed. Everything that identified the room as her own was gone. The fresh orchids were still there, and her bed was the same, but all the pictures pinned up on the walls, the trophies that were stashed on her desk, all of her things were gone.

"You see, this is where we decided that our daughter's room would be, if we had one. We even wanted to name her Sakura!" Sakura smiled weakly and nodded. It seemed to be all she could do at the moment.

"You know, you kind of remind me of my husband," Sakura froze. '_Mom never mentions Dad. Not ever!' _

"He died about 22 years ago," Mrs. Haruno continued, smiling. "But just seeing your face reminds me of him,"

"I should really get going, I'm sorry to bother you," Sakura found it hard to talk around the lump in her throat. Her eyes were tearing up and she threw her arms around her mother. "Good-bye!" She said as she hurried out the front door. Something dropped on the exposed skin of her collarbone. Sakura touched her cheek in surprise. She was crying. She took in a couple deep breaths and finally just succumbed to the tears. She sat on the driveway of what used to be her home and bawled her heart out.

* * *

><p>Sasuke stared dully at the mansion that he called home. It looked exactly the same as the way he left it. It was dull, a little gloomy, with a police car parked outside and the Uchiha family crest painted on the front door. He knocked on the door once and waited. Getting impatient, he knocked a little louder and the door still hadn't opened. He glared at it for a couple seconds. His father had never kept a visitor waiting, even though he could be rude at times, he was a stickler for manners. Sasuke checked his watch for the date and his eyes widened. Today was the anniversary of his mother's death. Subdued, he put the phone back into his pocket and tilted his head back to gaze at the sky. What was it his father had said again?<p>

"_So Sasuke, Itachi, I will be gone another two weeks, make sure you guys take care of the house alright?"_

"_Aa." Sasuke said monotonously as he grabbed a tomato from a bowl on the counter. _

"_Another case Dad? What about the anniversary?" Itachi added with a frown. _

_Both Sasuke and Fugaku paused and a frown tugged at the latter's lips while a furrow appeared between Sasuke's eyebrows. _

"_You two can visit without me...I'll – I'll make sure to stop by as soon as I'm back."_

So that was why his father hadn't opened the door. He was out on some case. Sasuke shoved his hands in his pockets gloomily and began the walk to the cemetery. At the gates he was met by Itachi, who also seemed to be going the same direction.

"Well well, Otouto, look what we have here. You did remember after all," Itachi said with a raised brow.

Sasuke chose not to admit that he had forgotten and his original reason for coming to the mortal world was a little different.

"You're a lucky man, Otouto," Itachi continued with a smirk. "Sakura-san is quite a jewel, is she not?" Sasuke glanced at him with narrowed eyes and decided not to take the bait. "Tch," They both came to a halt as they saw their father standing in front of their mother's grave.

"Otou-sama," Itachi said respectfully. Fugaku Uchiha started and hurriedly rubbed at his eyes. Itachi sighed. Their father was determined not to show any weakness. Not even to his own children.

"You must be confusing me with someone else, boy," Fugaku said in a gruff voice.

Neither Itachi nor Sasuke were expecting this reaction and they subtly glanced at each other. Itachi hesitated for a moment before asking,

"Excuse me, but have you any children?" Fugaku stared at them for a moment.

"No, none. I always wanted two boys though. Mikoto, that's my wife, she did too," Sasuke visibly flinched at the sound of his mother's name. Itachi could understand why. Their father never spoke of her after her death; it cast a pall of gloom upon the family. To hear him speak it so easily was surreal. Fugaku squinted at them before speaking again. "You boys look very familiar though, have we met?" Sasuke swallowed thickly. Itachi smiled stiffly. "No I don't believe so, sorry to have bothered you," Itachi led the way out of the cemetery with Sasuke following close behind. As soon as they were out of hearing distance Sasuke grabbed Itachi's shoulder and swung him around.

"What the bloody _hell _was that?" Sasuke hissed angrily. Itachi sighed.

"What it looks like to me, is that this God business is very real," Sasuke glared at him heatedly. "It seems that when we became Gods, the memories of everyone who knew us were altered to make it as if we never existed on Earth. I'm assuming this happens to make it a lot less complicated. Think about the chaos our "disappearances" would cause. Search parties, hysterical family, dozens of missing persons, etc."

Sasuke released his brother's shoulder with a stunned look on his face. Itachi's face was much less expressive; the only sign of his discomfort was the small crease between his eyebrows. Itachi sighed tiredly. "Otouto, it's time we accepted what's happened as reality. Our lives here are pretty much over,"

"We don't exist here anymore, do we?" Sasuke said, uncharacteristically quiet.

Itachi looked at him, surprised by the show of emotion before replying. "No Sasuke. We don't belong here anymore,"

Sakura sat on the expensive feeling black leather couch in the living room of her and Sasuke's mansion (she had given up with the denial that they were living together). She held a mug of steaming tea in one hand and a tissue in the other. The pinkette wondered when Sasuke was going to come home. She was sure she looked a mess; she had been crying so her eyes were red, her nose was probably red too, she had tear tracks on her face (she could feel them), and her hair and clothes were a mess from lying down on the couch crying.

A small part of her said that she was overreacting and that she and her mother had never really gotten along in the first place. Sakura smelled her tea and sniffed miserably when the front door slammed open. Sasuke stalked into the foyer and his head slowly turned towards her. Had Sakura been less consumed by her grief she would have gulped, because Sasuke looked very angry. Or maybe it wasn't anger. She took in the slump of his shoulders and his defeated expression. Looks like she wasn't the only one with a rough day.

"You went to see your parents," both of them said simultaneously. Sakura cursed her voice for being a dead giveaway that she'd been crying. Sasuke's sounded pretty thick too, but not as bad as hers.

"Yes, I did," Sakura said cautiously.

"Hn," was Sasuke's reply before he climbed up the stairs. She grabbed her cooling tea and followed him, deciding he needed her moral support. When she warily pushed open the bedroom door she found him on the bed on his back, his arms over his head. He cracked an eyelid at her entrance before closing his eyes again. Sakura sighed. This wasn't going to be easy, and the most likely outcome was probably him biting her head off.

"You know, I never really got along with my mother," Sakura said softly. Sasuke looked at her with a sharp expression on his face. "But I never knew my dad. He left before I was even born. Mom and I - we fought a lot and I wasn't the daughter she wanted. But," here her voice hitched and she looked at the ground. "though neither of us said it, ever, I think – I think she loved me, and I think I loved her too. And now it's as if she never knew me, and it hurts. But it'll get better, I know it will, though it may not seem like it now," a single tear slid down her cheek and she impatiently brushed it aside as she looked intently at Sasuke.

He stared at her hard for a while before turning onto his side, away from her. Sakura felt the sharp prick of disappointment pierce the hopeful balloon that had been forming in her chest. That Sasuke would open up and maybe just talk to her, for the first time.

"It...was the same way. With my father," Sasuke said quietly. Sakura blinked and a slow smile began to spread.

"Itachi was always better than me," Here she heard frustration in his voice. "But...now he's not. Otou-sama didn't remember either of us. This is it now," He punched the wall behind him in frustration and Sakura winced as she saw blood drip down his hand. Sakura held out her hand and wished for band-aids. Holding the box of band-aids and her quickly cooling tea, Sakura clambered onto the bed. Sasuke turned his head when the mattress shifted under her weight. Silently, she offered the tea as a sort of peace offering. She smiled when he sat up and hesitantly wrapped his fingers around the grey glass handle. His eyes met hers and she felt a thrill go down into her stomach and awaken the butterflies that resided there. After a couple seconds of staring at him with wide green eyes, he smirked and said "Thank you,"

The spell was broken. She cleared her throat and opened the box of band-aids. When he caught sight of the cover he narrowed his eyes. "Tch. Hell no," Sakura frowned at him and looked at the box.

BAND-AID: Hello Kitty 

She giggled. He glared. She laughed. He looked murderous. She sighed. He looked relieved.

"Sasuke you're going to have to put these on,"

"No. I refuse," He got up off the bed and crossed his arms stubbornly over his broad chest. Sakura's eye twitched and her mouth twisted into a scowl.

"Really now?" She said in a deceivingly sweet voice. "Well I guess it can't be helped," She closed her eyes, pointed a finger to the wall behind Sasuke, and then made squiggly motions. Vines burst forth from the wall where she had pointed and bound Sasuke, following the squiggly motions made by her fingertip. He looked at her furiously. Sakura beamed at him and he glared some more. She 'tsked' at his torn knuckles.

Sasuke studied the pink-haired woman in front of him as she bandaged his knuckles; he preferred not to think of what she was bandaging his knuckles with. She didn't have to do this. Any of this. She could have not bridged the gap and took the incentive to talk to him, and she'd probably be better off. This train of thought was cut off as she took his pale hands into her much smaller ones. Had he been anyone else, he would have laughed at how gently she was treating his hands. They were so much rougher than her own, and anyone could have seen by the numerous scars that they had seen much more work and pain than this silly knuckle bleeding. But Sakura held them as if they were as fragile as a newborn lamb. His irritated expression softened.

Sakura finished bandaging Sasuke's knuckles and grinned happily at him. She flicked a finger at the vines and they swiftly retreated into the gaping hole in the wall. However this meant that Sasuke collapsed onto Sakura who was sitting on the bed in front of him.

No matter what you read elsewhere, it was not romantic in the least. Her elbow was pressing into his collarbone and his knee was bruising her thigh. However when he got himself partially off of her, and she tried to wiggle out from under him, it became that awkward and fluffy moment. Their faces were too close together and Sakura could feel his warm breath fanning her lips. One of Sasuke's arms propped him up next to her head, and he found that she smelled deliciously of roses and...cinnamon? She squirmed under him and his hand found her shoulder and gripped it tightly.

"Don't move," Sasuke bit out in a strained voice. He carefully pushed himself off her and Sakura knew that her cheeks were blazing crimson.

He wouldn't meet her eyes as he said "I'm going to take a shower," in that same voice and walked into the bathroom. When Sakura heard the water running she flopped back onto the bed and tried to suffocate herself with her pillow.

* * *

><p>"Be to her, Persephone,<br>All the things I might not be;  
>Take her head upon your knee.<br>She that was so proud and wild,  
>Flippant, arrogant and free,<br>She that had no need of me,  
>Is a little lonely child<br>Lost in Hell,—Persephone,  
>Take her head upon your knee;<br>Say to her, "My dear, my dear,  
>It is not so dreadful here."<br>— Edna St. Vincent Millay

A/N: The poem didn't really have much to do with the story, but I found it and really liked it so I shoved it in there. So how was it? I'm really happy with how this chapter came out! I guess my muse finally made an appearance! Trivia question thingy: What is Sakura's address?

Reviews make a story grow,

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So much happiness for me!


	6. Chapter 6

Hi! Yes, I am still alive, I know you were wondering...

Best Reviewer Award goes to:

Kaze and Kiba: Thank you so much! As one of my favorite authors, it means a lot to me to have you review (and more than once at that!) Thanks again.

jen1490: Thanks for reviewing each and every chapter! I appreciate it, especially since your reviews had some substance. (and they made me lol :D)

Thanks Naiya12 for beta-ing, even after I disappeared for a month! :)

Enjoy~

* * *

><p>Sakura lay in her (empty, empty, empty) bed and squirmed anxiously, replaying the scenario with ZeusItachi.

"_But I can help you find her," he said as he turned around with a slight smile. "The muse of history," Itachi repeated, "comes to those lovers of history."_

Sakura frowned and stifled her face with a pillow. Maybe denying her brain oxygen would help. Probably not though. She tried not to think of how she had nobody to go back home to. How she wasn't even fully comfortable in this new world of Gods and Goddesses and bizarre incestuous familial ties she had been thrown into. How she was now married to a totally and utterly sexy man who was the Lord of the freaking Underworld and she didn't even know the first thing about marriage. She was only 21 dammit! She wasn't supposed to have to deal with all of this.

Someone knocked on the door loudly.

"Sakura-chan?" A familiar voice called. The pink-haired woman's face brightened immediately and she sat up, clutching the pillow to her chest.

"Naruto? Come in!" He opened the door slowly, and then as he ascertained that he was in the right place, (kind of) he strode in confidently.

"I have to tell you something," he said with a secretive smile. She punched his arm affectionately as he sat down on the bed next to her. "Me too," she said with her own smug grin.

"Ok me first! I think I'm going to ask Hinata-chan out on a date!" Naruto practically shouted. His pent up excitement had him practically vibrating with energy. Sakura beamed brightly.

"Naruto! Oh that's wonderful!" she clasped her hands together. Even someone who was half-blind and had an eggplant for a brain could tell that Hinata was totally infatuated with the loud, exuberant blond.

"But there's something else..." sadness colored his tone and the light in his aquamarine eyes dulled a little. She knew what he was going to say, and it scratched painfully at the healing wound inside her heart.

"Kakashi didn't remember me, when I went back..." Naruto said in a helpless voice.

Tears welled up in the Goddess' eyes and she quickly blinked them back. She reached for his hand and held it loosely. For someone who grew up without parents, this must be a terrible blow to him. Of course, she thought bitterly, her fatherless situation hadn't made it that much easier on her.

"Well, I have some good news," Sakura ventured after a moment of silence. "I know how to find Clio," Naruto's sky blue eyes immediately lit up and the woman in front of him smiled.

"We have to find someone who likes history, and ask them to call to her," Naruto made a face.

"My favorite class in school was lunch. How about you Sakura-chan?" She stifled a giggle.

"For me it was biology," she admitted, remembering her hopes and dreams to become a doctor a small frown made its way onto her face. She had worked so hard for so long and now everything was meaningless. Pointless. She rubbed her temple tiredly.

"Do you have a headache?" Naruto said, concerned. She nodded and he pressed a hand to her aching temple. She started.

"What are you..." Sakura trailed off as he closed his eyes and the pain started to ebb and fade into nothingness.

"I'm the God of healing, remember?" She smiled at him gratefully.

"Anyway, Zeus told me how the summoning worked. So now we have to find ourselves a lover of history!" she said, looking thoroughly unexcited. They both sighed.

The door opened suddenly and Sasuke walked in and froze, glaring at Naruto who paled. Sakura was still in her shorts and t-shirt, a fact she was made very aware of as Sasuke glared at her too.

"What are you doing here?" he snapped at Naruto. "This is my house!"

Sakura scoffed. "Oh come off it, it's my house too!" Cerberus bound into the room, unnoticed. Sasuke grumbled and sat on the bed as well, causing it to sag with all of their combined weight. As Sakura stared at him, an idea formed in her nimble mind.

"Hey Sasuke-kun," she said in her most innocent voice, cursing silently when he looked at her suspiciously.

"Aa,"

"Do you like history?" she said, placing one hand on the bed, violating the space barrier that separated them.

"Could you do me a favor?" She leaned towards him tantalizingly, batting her coral lashes. He watched her warily. He tried not to let his thoughts stray as his obsidian eyes traced the outline of her full lips.

"Yes..." Sasuke's eyes narrowed as Naruto whooped loudly and Sakura high-fived him.

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun," and the sincerity was so painfully apparent in her voice and sparkling eyes, it made the stoic Uchiha feel uncomfortable. "We need you to call the muse Clio. She's the muse of history," Sakura explained. "And Itachi-san- I mean Zeus, told me that she only comes to lovers of history. So you,"

Sasuke stared back at her with unreadable onyx eyes. He sighed. What was he getting himself into? Still facing her, his eyelids slowly shuttered over windows of darkness. _'Clio, Clio, Clio, Clio,' _a small line appeared between his eyebrows as his concentration increased. _'Come...for-'_ a pair of bright smiling green eyes flashed unbidden into his mind. Two twin gasps and Cerberus' startled yelp echoed in the room and Sasuke opened his eyes to see Sakura staring some place behind him. He turned around to see a child standing there, clutching a couple scrolls and looked somewhat disgruntled.

She had black hair that went down just passed her shoulders and was pin straight. Her eyes were an odd milky white and reminded Sasuke vaguely of someone. Naruto exclaimed something loudly and Sakura and Sasuke both turned to him in.

"You look so much like Hinata-chan!" He yelped, obviously confused. Clio examined her nail beds in a bored manner.

"Well yes. I mean, she is my elder sister after all," Everyone in the room stared at her and she lifted her gaze from her cuticles to stare back at all of them with opalescent eyes. Sakura cleared her throat somewhat awkwardly.

"So Clio, we were wondering if you could help us, please," she started in a sincere tone. Clio stared at her flatly and Sakura tried not to falter.

"Firstly, why don't you introduce yourselves?" Clio said after a moment, plopping her skinny frame, and the scrolls she was holding, down unceremoniously on the floor.

"You can have a chair if you'd like..." The pink-haired woman said, trying hard not to sound too patronizing. She wondered if she'd failed when the girl on her floor looked coolly up at her and declined.

"I'm Sakura, or Persephone, and those are Sasuke-kun, Hades, and Naruto, Apollo," she pointed at each of them in succession. Naruto waved cheerfully while Sasuke didn't even react to his introduction. When Naruto's name was called, Clio looked at him and gave him a slightly scary smirk.

"So you're this Apollo whom Hinata nee-chan is going on a date with..." her tone was wicked and Naruto gulped, his Adam's apple bobbing. Sakura cleared her throat for the second time.

"Anyway...we were wondering if you could help us by telling us the story of Apollo and-" Here her green eyes flickered to Naruto's solemn face.

"Kushina," he said firmly.

Clio looked at him interestedly, the first real emotion the three saw on her face. She perused her scrolls before shaking her dark hair out of her face impatiently and snapping her finger. A silver Mac sat in her lap where the scroll had previously been. She turned it around and Sakura and Naruto leaned forward to see the screen more clearly. Sasuke gave an awkward sort of cough before Naruto grabbed his collar and jerked him down too. The Uchiha rubbed his neck resentfully but turned his focus to the laptop screen as well.

Taking up the screen was what seemed to be surveillance footage. The grainy quality and quickly changing numbers in the corner were testament to that. He frowned. The technology was too advanced for the era this footage should be in.

"How did you even get a camera watching them?" Clio turned her blank gaze to his. "You forget that I am a muse. Everything is recorded by me, and can be found by me,"

"Everything?" Sakura said suddenly. Clio gave a curt nod. "I know of everything that has ever happened, no matter how insignificant or important. But that doesn't mean I have the power to do anything about it. I simply watch, and record, and the cycle starts over." Her emotionless visage was replaced briefly by a wistful look, before it hardened yet again into an unfeeling mask. She clicked once and the video started playing.

A pretty woman with long red hair and celadon eyes was talking animatedly to a tall man with blond hair and a familiar cerulean gaze. Naruto was the exact replica of him, a carbon copy, down to the tan shade of his face and the way his blond hair fell in messy spikes.

Naruto swallowed and said "Apollo..." in an uncharacteristically spiritless voice.

Clio nodded and pointed to the redhead. "Kushina," she said, flatly.

Anyone could tell from the blush on the redheads face, and the look in Apollo's eyes, that the two were in love. As the portrait slowly erased itself and a new one appeared, Kushina's eyes were filled with tears.

"Minato, why do you have to go? I don't understand! Why are you leaving me?"

"Kushina, you don't understand! It's not about leaving you. It's about returning to my duty," Apollo said, his hands lingering in hers where she had desperately clutched them. "I am the sun. And Zeus commands that I leave you. I have been neglecting my job, Kushina," he said softly and took his hands out of hers firmly. She sobbed and he smoothed her hair sadly.

She was visibly pregnant, and Apollo's face shadowed with grief. He kissed her forehead and gently touched her swollen belly. Then he climbed into his chariot, and his fiery steeds shook their manes and galloped into the air. He blew a kiss to Kushina who wore a watery smile.

In the third scene, Naruto's mother was talking to an unfamiliar man with brown hair and eyes. As he placed a kiss on her cheek, she didn't push him away. Instead, she giggled and intertwined fingers with him. The scenes were coming faster and faster. In the next scene, Apollo was obviously confronting her about something.

"Kushina who is he? I know you have been unfaithful!" he said, and his furious voice rang in the air.

"What was I supposed to do, Minato? Your baby needs a father!" she pointed at her stomach angrily. Apollo recoiled. His face was still angry, but he looked like a statue, uncompromising and stony. He got into his chariot and before leaving he uttered one sentence. "**I** am his father, Kushina."

Finally, the scene was over. Now he was talking to an aloof looking woman with red eyes and choppily layered brown hair. She was holding a bow, and pulled an arrow out of her quiver at Apollo's angry words. A small crease was apparent between her dark eyebrows, and her red lips were set in a frown.

In the next video, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke could barely make out Kushina's body, and the squirming baby that lay in her still arms, as it burned on a funeral pyre. The flames were reflected in Apollo's blue eyes and when the red-eyed woman next to him whispered something to him he darted into the fire, and emerged carrying the baby.

Sakura let out a gasp and Sasuke exhaled softly. Naruto simply swallowed. There in Apollo's arms was Naruto as a baby, and his mother burned in the background. Apollo scrubbed at his eyes and a man with a shock of silver hair walked onto the screen slowly. He took the baby from the God with a solemn nod, and Apollo vanished. The screen went black, and Clio put the laptop away as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

Sakura placed a hand on one of Naruto's shoulders, which were trembling. Sasuke noticed that his hands were fisted and shaking uncontrollably. The blond let out a choked sound and the pinkette enveloped him in a tight hug. As he sobbed dryly into Sakura's neck, she patted his back soothingly and a stray tear made its way down her pale cheek. Clio watched them blankly and Sasuke wondered if that's what he looked like just then, when inside his emotions were roiling.

Apollo had Kushina killed for her infidelity. By, if he wasn't mistaken, Artemis. Artemis had taken pity on the newborn and Apollo saved him. The baby was Naruto. Apollo had then given Naruto to a caretaker, whose identity he hadn't deciphered yet. Sasuke held back a groan as he put his head into his hands. This was too much emotionally stressful information, it was no wonder Naruto was breaking down.

He looked at the two and scowled briefly. Wasn't this too long for a hug? Honestly, was Naruto trying to cop a feel? It seemed just like the blond... then Sasuke remembered what had just transpired and berated himself for thinking badly of his friend. He could only imagine what he was going through. Granted Sasuke had lost his mother, but not because his father had ordered his aunt to kill her. This familial drama just made his head spin. It was like a celestial soap opera.

Therefore, he awkwardly patted Naruto's shoulder as Sakura made soothing shushing noises and rubbed the blond's back. He was struck by how much like a family situation this was. The thought of Naruto being his son made him scoff in amusement. He then found himself pinned with Sakura's fierce green glare. No doubt, she thought he was scoffing at Naruto's predicament.

When Naruto emerged from the cocoon of Sakura's protective embrace, his eyes were dry, albeit a bit red.

"That bastard," he said in a scratchy voice. "I can't believe- my own father!" Sasuke eyed the blond's shaking fists. Clio cleared her throat and they all looked at her.

"You shouldn't be too angry Apollo-san," she said calmly, her opaque eyes unblinking. "After all both your father and Kushina-san were at fault here," Naruto opened his mouth as if to argue, but then looked at the ground dejectedly.

She checked her laptop briefly. "What you're experiencing is known as the Oedipus complex. The desire to possess one's mother and kill one's father," Blue, green, and black eyes stared at her in mixed shock and revulsion and she brushed her hair out of her face, as if she hadn't said anything odd.

"Um...anyway," Sakura interrupted, shooting a look at Clio, "I think we can all rule out the fact that you're suffering from the Oedipus complex, but Clio-san is right. Your mother wasn't free of blame either, Naruto," she said gently.

He sighed. "I know, Sakura-chan,"

Sakura turned her emerald gaze to Clio. "Thank you for your help, Clio-san. You can go now, if you'd like," Clio nodded and stood up, brushing invisible dust off her netted black and grey top.

"Apollo-san, one more thing. This story isn't unique to you. Don't think you're special. This is a story of

Apollo from the beginning of time." Naruto stared after her as she disappeared in a whirl of

muted colors.

"Naruto, can I ask you something?" Sakura said hesitantly, her fingertips skimming his sleeve. Sasuke

was overcome by a violent wave of jealousy at the light touch. That was his wife! Immediately he resented the

intrusive thought. It wasn't not like they were actually married or anything, she was welcome to

touch whomever she liked. Where had that thought come from anyway? Cerberus whined and nudged

his hand with her muzzle. He pet her absent-mindedly. Was he developing feelings for Sakura?

"Who was that man with silver hair?" she said curiously. Naruto looked up. "That was Kakashi..." he

said.

"Well, if he knew Apollo, it's likely that he is a celestial being. Therefore, he may not have actually forgotten you!" she said excitedly. Naruto hung his head and Sakura's smile faded.

"Hey, I'm really sorry. About all of this," she whispered.

"Yeah, it's chill, Sakura-chan. Thanks for getting me this far," Sakura smiled. "Let's go visit Kakashi," when Naruto looked up a determined fire burned in his cerulean eyes.

Sakura grinned triumphantly and pumped her fist into the air. "Hell yeah!" Cerberus let out an excited bark that reverberated around the room.

Sasuke's expression soured. It seemed as though they had forgotten all about him in their joy. He tried to push back the childish emotions and the urge to pout. Sakura glanced at him with a knowing expression in her eye and nudged Naruto.

"Hey teme, you can tag along too," the blond teased, now back to his normal self. Sasuke rolled his eyes. It looked like they would all be paying Kakashi a visit.

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><p>"Children start out by loving their parents; after a time they judge them; rarely, if ever, do they forgive them." – Oscar Wilde<p>

A/N: Hey guys. I know it's been a while, but I was busy writing for Sasusaku month! See? My time wasn't _all _wasted! :D Anyways, I apologize for the length of this chapter. Seeing as I just wrote about 20 oneshots, it took a bit of an effort getting back into chapter-writing mode. Sorry!

1: The story of Apollo and Kushina was based off of the story of Apollo and Coronis, with some changes. If you're interested in the original version of the story, (which I think you should all check out!) I recommend Wikipedia Greek mythology is so fascinating!

2: Since my review poem got such good results, I'm going to go with a "Review Haiku" for this chapter! :)

**Review if you will**

**For I wait to be assured**

**You are satisfied**

:D Review question: which Naruto character is Clio?

Thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks for everyone who reviewed the last chapter! **

**Best Review Award:**

**EclipseStripe: Thanks so much for your detailed review! And the haiku. It was beautiful. :)**

**Reviewer who answered question right (I need a better title for this...):**

**: You got it! Clio was Hanabi!**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is sadly not mine. Nor are the Greek Gods... **

**Enjoy~ and please review (: **

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><p>"Naruto, where exactly is Kakashi's house?" Sakura asked curiously as the trio made their way out of her, and Sasuke's, mansion. Naruto strutted confidently in the front, and only Sasuke could see the slight dent in his general aura of cheerfulness. He wondered if Sakura noticed, but Sakura had only known Naruto for about a week and couldn't be expected to pick up on such slight differences in the blond's gregarious behavior.<p>

"Naruto, you don't have to pretend to be so cheerful, you know," Sakura chided, as they transported themselves to the mortal world. Sasuke blinked.

"What are you talking about, Sakura-chan?" Naruto said loudly. Her green eyes narrowed in sympathy and she reached up to pat his blond spikes before turning to Sasuke who had been watching the interaction.

"Where's the place?" she asked off-handedly, rolling the short sleeves of her oversized, white, cotton t-shirt to make a makeshift tank-top. The warm August sun shone on them, highlighting the golden specks in Sakura's green eyes, and making her pink hair glow.

"It's on this street..." Naruto said, craning his neck to look all the way down the cul-de-sac.

"Well let's go," Sakura said, tugging on Naruto's shirt impatiently. He laughed good-naturedly, and set off down the street, her hand still loosely connected to his shirt. Sasuke walked next to Naruto, deliberately bumping into him so that Sakura's hand slipped off the sun god's clothing. Naruto turned to him in surprise.

"Oi!" he shouted indignantly, but Sasuke just smirked and brushed past so that Naruto had to hurry to catch up. What Sasuke didn't count on was the sly smirk that sidled its way onto his face.

"I get it," Naruto said in a smug voice. "Getting a little possessive, are we? Territorial?" he nudged the raven-haired man next to him slyly. Sakura caught up before Sasuke could bite back a sharp retort, so he had to settle with shooting a hot glare at Naruto above her head instead.

"Here we are," Naruto said a bit hurriedly, as he sensed Sasuke was ready to lash out at him with full force. They were stopped outside a large, nice looking light blue house. The door was a deep red, with a brass knocker in the center. Naruto rifled through all of his pockets before rubbing the back of his head sheepishly and telling them that he had lost his keys. Sakura rolled her eyes good-naturedly and rapped loudly on the door with the knocker.

A masked man opened the door in his boxers, tousling his hair and yawning loudly. Naruto shouted some sort of disgusted protest that mingled in the air with Sasuke's sharp reprimand and Sakura's surprised squeal like some kind of twisted harmony. Kakashi stared with surprise at Naruto's revolted face, to Sasuke's weary expression, and finally to Sakura's wide emerald eyes. Her face slowly flushed a pink that contrasted somewhat oddly with her hair.

"Um...let me go change," Kakashi said, turning around and making his way back into his house. He came out wearing a camouflage t-shirt and jeans. Sakura was still pink. "Why don't you come on in?" he said calmly, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened in the last fifteen minutes. He didn't seem surprised to see Naruto there, rather, it was as if he had expected this visit.

He gestured for them to sit down, and it was as he settled himself on a dark blue stool that Sakura got her first good look at him. The mask hid much of his face, and only one black eye remained uncovered. He had a shock of silver hair, though Sakura suspected it was his natural color. Even though it seemed improbable, Sakura could sympathize.

She blushed again, remembering his toned chest and abs and unusual boxers. They had been red, with weird black commas all over them. Sasuke only ever wore black boxers. She closed her eyes and violently shook her head, trying to dispel all thoughts of boxers and attractive men. When she opened her eyes, the men around her were staring at her with varying levels of concern.

"Are you ok, err..." Kakashi trailed off. Naruto jumped in. "Oh sorry Kakashi! This is Sakura-chan!" He said, dispelling all awkwardness.

"Are you feeling alright, Sakura-san?" he asked. Sakura nodded, embarrassed at the scene that her zoning out had caused. "Just feeling a little warm," she said, smiling. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously.

"Alright then. Back to business," Kakashi said jovially. Naruto's easy grin slid off his face like oil on ice.

"Kakashi. I heard about what happened between my mom and dad. And that you're not really who I thought you were," Naruto frowned, but he didn't seem to be angry with Kakashi. The older man bent his head sadly.

"Minato, or Apollo as you probably know him, was a good friend. I didn't know Kushina directly, but from what I heard about her from Minato, she must've been a damn great woman," he spoke sadly, but composedly. "Naruto, I'm sorry about what happened between them. It's a lot to stomach. I just want you to know that whatever they did, they loved each other very, very much," Kakashi reached out to ruffle Naruto's hair but his hand was batted away. Naruto swallowed thickly and looked down at the table. When he raised his head, his cerulean eyes glittered.

"I know," he said quietly. His voice shook ever so slightly. "It's just so hard...to forgive. Either of them!" he added the last part in angrily and Sakura touched his arm with her fingertips.

"Let's talk about who _you_ really are, Kakashi-san" Sakura interjected smoothly. Sasuke detected a hint of worry in her voice. She obviously thought Naruto might break down again if they discussed his parents; Sasuke secretly agreed.

"We saw that Apollo-san gave the infant, well Naruto, to you. And you said yourself that you both were good friends," Kakashi leaned back in his chair and passed a hand over his face tiredly. Suddenly he seemed years older than he had seconds ago.

"Well according to Greek mythology, I'm Chiron," Sakura screwed up her face. "The...ferryman?" she said dubiously. Kakashi slammed his hand down on the table before staring at her irritably.

"No, no, and for the last goddamn time NO! When will people learn? It's spelt differently; it's pronounced differently, when will they stop confusing us!" Obviously, Sakura had hit a nerve. She tried again. "The centaur then?" she said tentatively. He nodded, still a little put out that the pinkette had confused him with Charon, who ferried dead souls across the river Styx.

"I'm not actually a centaur!" Kakashi added hastily, seeing Sasuke's frown.

"No it's not that," The younger man said, rolling his eyes, "just that I've never met Charon, though he technically works for me..." Sasuke said. The silver-haired man stared at him.

"Wait...what? Sasuke you don't mean to say..." Sasuke nodded a curt affirmative. "Aa,"

"If you're Hades, who are both of you?" he said, eyeing them curiously.

"Apollo,"

"Persephone," At this Kakashi looked Sakura up and down. She blushed faintly and he smirked. "Well, well, Sasuke, look who's got himself a cute little wifey," Sasuke closed his eyes as a muscle in his jaw twitched irritably.

"Well, Kakashi-san, we were wondering if there was any more to the story of Naruto's parents that you could tell us," Sakura said. Kakashi shook his head and placed his hands on Naruto's shoulder in a placating gesture.

"Here are the facts, straight and true: Apollo and Kushina were irrevocably in love. Apollo left because he was neglecting his duties as the sun God. Kushina cheated on Apollo. Apollo was angry, very angry, he sent Artemis to...kill Kushina. She did, but Artemis felt the baby was an innocent. Apollo loved the baby too, as much as he loved Kushina. He loved you, Naruto," Kakashi said gravely, his hand still on Naruto's shoulder. Naruto stood up from the table suddenly, pushing back his chair with a screech. His face was ashen.

"Be back in a sec," he said and almost ran outside. Sakura shared a look with Sasuke, and they both hurried outside without a word. Kakashi watched them go silently.

"Sorry, Teme, Sakura-chan," Naruto said shakily, his face still pale. Sasuke put his hands in his pockets.

"I thought I was ok about it...I mean I never met either of them. But...I guess I need a little more time than I thought," He ran a hand through his blond spikes, making them stick up wildly. Sasuke snorted and Naruto grinned weakly.

"Of course you need time!" Sakura looked exasperated. "You men and your need to repress every goddamn emotion you have!"

Sasuke noticed that she wheeled around to glare at him vehemently as well. He scowled.

"Hey..." Sakura said softly, after they had all stood there for five minutes in comfortable silence. "You wanna leave?" Naruto cast a glance back at the house and nodded.

"Wait for me here," she said briskly as she strode back into the house.

"Kakashi-san, I appreciate all your help, but I think we should leave now," with a quick smile she turned and left through the open door. Kakashi smiled.

"Sakura-san!" He called at her. She spun around, a surprised look on her dainty features. "Thank you," she still looked faintly puzzled but she nodded solemnly and left. They were good kids, Kakashi mused. They would take care of each other. He chortled a bit thinking of the tension between Sasuke and Sakura. This was sure to be amusing.

After reassuring Sakura that he was going to be fine and he really had to go pick Hinata up for her date, Naruto left for Olympus. She turned to Sasuke. "So are you going home – I mean to the Underworld now?" She berated herself for the slip up. In the last couple of days, she had really begun to think of their dark mansion as home. Sasuke looked at the sky, pondering his answer. He shrugged. "Aa," Sakura tried not to grind her teeth at his cryptic response. As he concentrated on their shared residence, Sasuke kept getting distracted by how Sakura's coral lashes were so long they skimmed her cheeks when she blinked. Finally, with an aggravated growl he turned away from her and reappeared at the mansion, the back of his neck and tips of his ears burning.

As Sakura watched him go, she thought of the large white house on the top of the hill that was Olympus instead of her own house.

* * *

><p>She pounded on the white double doors, breathless from the gruelling walk up the hill of Olympus. Hera opened the door again, eyeing her with something akin to disapproval. Sakura self-consciously looked down at her clothes. A huge white t-shirt, black leggings, and red pumps; yes the outfit was unorthodox, but it didn't warrant the look Hera was giving her.<p>

"Excuse me, Konan-san, could I talk to Zeus-sama?" The blue-haired woman nodded curtly and led Sakura to the same room before stomping huffily up the stairs. Itachi came down not long afterwards with a vaguely bemused expression on his face.

"Sakura-san, what an unexpected surprise," he said in his smooth tenor. Sakura turned her gaze to the gleaming marble mantelpiece so that her knees would continue to support her.

"Yes...well you're hint about Clio worked, thank you for that, Itachi-san," he nodded. "It was actually Sasuke-kun who was a history-lover," she continued. "he helped us summon Clio, and well we couldn't have done it without him. I was just wondering..." here she hesitated. "Were there any circumstances that we didn't know about? Naruto is really heartbroken at his parents' actions...and we talked to Chiron, who told us that was all there is to it," green eyes full of hope met flat onyx ones.

"I'm sorry Sakura-san, but sometimes you just have to accept the truth with grace. Kushina was only human, and Greek gods are known for their tempers and rash, impulsive decisions. You know first-hand how twisted it can get," Sakura assumed he was talking about the convoluted family relations that she was also a part of. She gave an involuntary shiver then composed herself.

"Well that was all. Sorry to bother you Itachi-san,"

"Sakura-san...one more thing," Sakura was hit with a sense of déja vu. It was like this at Kakashi's house as well. Itachi picked up one of the fruit in the fruit bowl on the glass table. It was a pomegranate; the king of the gods turned it over a couple times in his hand before tossing it to Sakura.

"Are you happy?" he asked her.

Her lips turned downwards into a frown. "That's a complicated question, Itachi-san," she responded slowly.

"How about this then...would you want to leave?" He rephrased the question.

"What do you mean?" Sakura narrowed her feline eyes at the man in front of her.

"I'm saying you can leave this life. You can go back to your mother, and she will remember you. However – you won't be able to come to this world again. You won't even remember we exist,"

Sakura's eyes widened. Her tongue swiped at her lips, which were suddenly dry. Itachi plucked the pomegranate from her hands as she stared speechlessly up at him. "I'm not making you choose now...take your time. You should go now, Sakura-san," Itachi said quietly, casting a furtive glance upwards. The pink-haired woman left wordlessly with a brief stunned glance at Itachi before she exited the grand white manor.

Still shocked at Itachi's proposition, she found herself in her bedroom, spread-eagled on the black silken comforters. She twisted so that she lay sprawled on her side, and pat Cerberus, who had curled herself up next to the bed. '_Itachi is giving me the choice to leave' _Sakura thought, trying to clear the jumbled mess of thoughts inside her head. '_I can stay here, or leave, live a normal life, and forget this ever happened,'_ She bit her lip. Although it seemed crazy not to take the option of getting her mother back, becoming a doctor, and living life as a normal person, she couldn't decide which one sounded the better option. '_Leave...this?' _she looked around her '_Leave Naruto, and Ino-pig...and Sasuke-kun?' _

Sasuke walked into the bedroom and stared at her. He opened his mouth, but seemed to change his mind and proceeded to sit down next to her sprawled form in silence. After some time had passed, she sat up suddenly and he turned to look at her through unfathomable black eyes.

"Itachi-san gave me the choice to leave," she blurted. Her pink eyebrows were scrunched in helpless indecision, and her green eyes were wide. Sasuke lifted an eyebrow. "I can leave this life, and live a normal one. I can become a doctor, and my mother will remember me again. But...I'll forget everything. That this world ever existed, that I used to be Persephone, that I knew...everyone," she finished lamely. She suspected she was really going to say "you" but she didn't think Sasuke dealt with emotions very well.

Sasuke leaned back onto his elbows, trying to ignore the hot flash of panic that cut through him like a knife when he heard Sakura might be leaving. "So what have you decided?" He hoped it didn't sound as if he cared too much.

"I don't know..." She admitted, chewing on her bottom lip. "I think I want to...have a party," The Uchiha stared at her as if she had lost her mind. "I know it sounds crazy!" she exclaimed, correctly interpreting his silence. "But in case I decide to leave...I want to say good-bye to everyone, even those people who I didn't get to know very well,"

He stared at her begrudgingly. "...Hn. When?"

"Today's Saturday...Wednesday?" she said timidly. He nodded and got up. Her green eyes followed his movements finally resting on his face. She realized he was looking at her intensely and a hot blush began to spread across her cheeks. There was an odd expression in his obsidian eyes. As her malachite eyes were caught in his smoldering gaze, Sakura felt she had to break this silence, or one of them would do something they would regret.

"Sasuke-kun? What is it? What's wrong?" She said, and the connection was broken. He sighed, and ran a hand through his black hair. "Nothing Sakura," A thrill went through her stomach when he said her name but she tried to ignore it. She wondered whether he even cared if she left or not, and what had that look been?

Sasuke left their bedroom and closed the door quietly. He paused for a moment in the window-lit hallway outside the bedroom. He wondered if the house would seem emptier if he knew that Sakura wasn't coming back to it. He took in the panelled blue walls, and the pictures that hung on the walls. Sasuke's black eyes widened. The pictures were of him and Sakura.

There was one of Cerberus standing over her, licking Sakura's face energetically while he stood leaning against the door frame smirking. Another one was of Sakura in her flower-patterned dress on the first night she became a goddess. One of him in his suit, the others of Cerberus. He ran his fingers over the paintings. Why did he care so much, whether she stayed or left? He remembered Naruto's sly glances, nudges, jokes, and his own jealousy towards Naruto and Sakura's friendship.

He straightened his spine and took in a deep breath, steeling himself for his mental confession. He, Sasuke Uchiha, otherwise known as the god Hades, had developed feelings for Sakura Haruno, otherwise known as the goddess Persephone. And he was going to do everything in his power to stop her from leaving.

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><p><strong>"For every path you choose, there is another you must abandon, usually forever. " - Joan D. Vinge <strong>

**A/N: Sakura blushes a lot in this chapter haha. ;D And the quote I like to think is about Sasuke's choice to acknowledge his feelings for Sakura, and act on them. I feel like this makes him OOC now though and that frustrates me. Console me in a review? ;)**

**If you review here**

**You leave me with a piece of **

**Consolation that**

**My writing continues to**

**Satisfy you and others**

**By the way, this is a form of Japanese poetry and it's called _tanka. _:) You learn something new every day! Thanks for reading~**


	8. Chapter 8

**So. Hi. I KNOW IT'S BEEN FOUR MONTHS, OK? I'M SORRY! **

**Thank you for sticking with this. **

**This chapter is dedicated to omelets and soy bacon. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing- Kishimoto owns all **

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><p>"Sasuke-kun what do you think about macaroons?" Sakura asked, lying horizontally on the bed where her Greek consort perched. Sasuke steepled his long fingers underneath his nose and surveyed her impassively.<p>

"Sakura."

"Well I was thinking that crumpets would be nice too."

"Sakura."

"With jam. Oh! What about scones?"

"_Sakura._"

"But I don't know! These people would all have different tastes and – yes Sasuke?"

He rolled his dark eyes impatiently, "Just get a couple of other gods to help you, instead of stressing. I'm sure someone would be more than happy to help," Sasuke narrowed his eyes as Sakura laughed.

"Sasuke-kun, I'm not stressing. This is fun!" She nodded for emphasis as he blinked.

"Well I think you should go talk to someone else about it. _Now. _I _really_ don't care," he knew it was it was uncalled for. But he really, really needed her out of the room. The reason for his transgression almost justified the brief flash of almost-hurt that crossed her pale face, betrayed by her slightly shocked green eyes.

She shrugged and leapt to her feet nimbly, glaring at Cerberus reproachfully as if she too was telling her to leave. "Ok. I'll talk to Ino," she said lightly.

Sakura slammed the door, leaving behind her a wake of jasmine fragrance. Sasuke sighed heavily, massaging his temples. He slouched some more in the black leather armchair; Cerberus whined and put her wet, cold nose into his hand.

"Do you know how to make her stay? You don't want her to leave either, do you?" He asked Cerberus only half-jokingly and she wagged her tail, tilting her head, "Of course you don't."

However after a negligible amount of time, his acute mind, honed by his father, immediately gave him the valuable information he needed. According to Greek mythology, Persephone didn't want to stay; Hades had kidnapped her. Sasuke snorted. Sakura practically fell into his arms. Demeter, Persephone's mother, wanted Sakura back and so appealed to Zeus. Now this was interesting, Sakura's biological mother no longer remembered her, so who could have interfered? Who was Demeter? This wasn't the most promising lead. He specifically remembered a certain day, where he woke up with a killer hangover and was told he was a Greek god.

"_Sasuke – you are Hades, God of the Underworld and Riches. Husband of Persephone," here the former Hades laughed, "Hope yours is as beautiful as mine was," he said before tossing something to Sasuke. "That old hag Demeter will come calling for her daughter, so if you want a wifey and keep the stability of the earth and the heavens blah blah whatever, make sure your Persephone eats some seeds from this pomegranate."_

His emotions roiled darkly at the recollection, remembering how the two boy-Gods had beaten him and Itachi so easily. He held his anger back with significant effort. Considering how much stress he had been experiencing in the past couple of weeks it was little wonder his temper hadn't exploded. He needed the pomegranate that the previous Hades had tossed him; the pomegranate was the key. His eyes narrowed as his gaze shifted to the clothes that were strewn across the room – hanging on chairs, on the floor, even one on the lamp.

Though he was a neat-freak, Sakura threw her clothes wherever she wanted, and apparently his clothes as well, when they happened to be in her way. He tried to focus all thought into remembering what he had been wearing that day; if he recalled correctly his old jeans after he had slept in them following a wild night out. Sasuke stilled suddenly as a curious thought hit him. He hadn't been partying, drinking, or doing anything morally dubious in more than a week. And the thought hadn't even crossed his mind until today. His fist hit the mahogany wood of their (her) dresser with a muffled thud. As his eyelids closed over onyx eyes, the image of a slender pink-haired girl walking away from him burned fiercely in his mind.

Strong hands, long-fingered, and quick with desperation, rifled through jean pocket after jean pocket, however Sasuke's face remained stoic even with the disappointing results. Finally, he found a pair of jeans under the dresser, crumpled into a ball. He pulled a ball-like fruit out of the worn pocket painfully slowly. His fingers closed over it briefly; this was Sakura's ticket to hell.

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><p>"And then he was like 'I <em>really <em>don't care, Sakura,'" As Sakura tried to imitate Sasuke's deep voice, the blonde burst into peals of laughter.

"Oh Forehead," Ino sighed fondly, "I've missed you and your shenanigans."

"Shenanigans?" Sakura exclaimed shrilly, "That's all I'm good for nowadays?" However the twinkle of amusement in her eyes gave her away. "I've missed you too, Ino-pig. How's your new job as the Goddess of Luuuurrrrvvv?" The pink-haired woman slurred the last word suggestively, and Ino snickered.

"Oh you know, same old, same old," Ino joked.

"Who's the lucky Hephaestus?"

"Honestly, I kind of hate him. I mean, he's pretty hot, but he has these gross hand-tongue-things! And he's obsessed with his 'art'. He sculpts a lot. I also think he wears eyeliner," Sakura rose her eyebrows, immediately sobering up at her best friend's serious tone, however the corner of her mouth twitched tellingly.

Ino's bright blue eyes turned thoughtful, "I think I've got a thing for Athena, Forehead."

Sakura spluttered, flustered, "Uh Ino, I didn't know you played for that team? Way to not tell your best friend!"

Ino stared at Sakura and burst out laughing, "Oh Sakura, Gods no! This Athena isn't a woman. He's a man. A manly one. Well, decently manly," she amended. Sakura leaned forwards on her pink and white, polka-dotted pouf, eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

"Ok lemme get this straight- you and Hephaestus don't love each other, right?" Ino shook her head with a flurry of platinum blond.

"And this new Athena is actually a man?" Ino nodded, her ponytail bobbing.

"And you guys have got a thing?" Pearly white teeth gleamed in a wide grin. "Well, I think that he fancies me," Ino twirled a strand of perfect blond hair in between her fingers coyly.

"Well good for you," Sakura smiled in amusement.

"Oh but you haven't told me your juicy news!"

"How is the marvellous, gorgeous, scrumptious, hot, sexy beast Sasuke Uchiha? In bed?" Ino added the last part triumphantly, giggling shrilly as Sakura turned all sorts of shades of pink.

"It's not like – I mean we don't – Nothing happens, okay!" Sakura sputtered.

"Oh sure, sure," Ino waved her perfectly manicured hands dismissively, "Now let me help you with this party thing," she said with a gleam in her baby blue eyes.

* * *

><p>"Hey, bastard, Sakura sent out these awesome invitations! Isn't she the best?"<p>

Sasuke's hand clenched involuntarily over the pomegranate and looked up with a ready glare directed at his best friend. Not that he'd ever admit the last part out loud. The gregarious blond waved a plain-looking piece of paper with a simple flower border and scripted cursive writing. Sasuke eyed it suspiciously.

"What's so great about it?" he said harshly.

Naruto leaned against the doorframe with a smug air, "You'll see once you get yours," he winced, "Well, her delivery was a bit...eh you'll see," Sasuke had barely opened his mouth to retort when a pale man appeared in his room with a sickly looking smile.

"Dear friend: Sakura Haruno also known as Queen Persephone, wife of Hades, Queen of the Underworld, invites you to a party that she is hosting at her abode, the Underworld."

There was a pregnant pause in which Sai's unnatural smile never faltered. Sasuke watched Naruto gag and mime throwing up with mild amusement. The messenger God reached into his jacket pocket and brought out a pink envelope so pale it was almost white. He threw it at Sasuke who caught it with a raised eyebrow - Naruto grinned with obvious mirth.

"Go on teme, open it!" He said, his grin becoming almost feral. As soon as the seal opened fresh-smelling flowers bloomed on the floor around him and jasmine creepers snaked up the bed-posts. When he unfolded the impeccably crisp letter two doves flew out and cooed softly on his shoulder. Cerberus, who had been dozing until now, barked twice in confusion. Naruto clapped his hands like an amused child. Sasuke read the pastel yellow and blue card briefly to himself; it said more or less the same thing that Sai had announced.

"And why are you still here?" He demanded toward the messenger God.

"To take your message to Sakura," Sai replied; Sasuke's lip curling in irritation.

"I live with her you idiot; you think I need _you _to take a message to her? Get out," Sai blinked once and vanished. Naruto gave Sasuke a searching look; it had been a while since Sasuke had been so easily irritable.

"Dobe that's the deepest look I've seen on your ugly mug for a long while," Sasuke said narrowing his eyes.

The blond shook his head, "I could say the same to you teme," as he guffawed loudly. Sasuke rolled his onyx eyes in the universal gesture of 'you are an idiot.'

"Leave, Dobe," he ordered brusquely, perusing the invitation again.

Naruto left with a grin and a jocular wave. The party was in a week - he had a weeks' time to make her stay. A thousand doubts flitted through his mind like frightened birds darting from an opened cage, finally coming to a halt on his biggest fear. What if she left? His hand curled once more over the amaranth pomegranate. Well he wasn't going to let that happen. The door opened and Sasuke looked up in surprise. She wasn't supposed to be home so soon, he had assumed Ino would have kept her for hours longer.

Sakura collapsed onto their bad, yawning, "I'm just going to let Ino-pig take care of everything, I mean; this is her forté anyhow."

"What happened to this being 'fun'?" Sasuke raised his eyebrows sardonically. Sakura grinned ruefully.

"Oh, who was I kidding, this is utter hell," catching the irony of her own words Sakura laughed.

Sasuke smirked, "And then she kept boring me about this new guy she's into, Shikamaru, I think? He's Athena," she continued.

Sasuke simply stared at her. It was hard to tell behind the stoic expression, but she thought he looked confused.

"He was chosen because of his 'superior intellect,'" she finger-quoted with a roll of the eyes, "Gods, Ino wouldn't shut up about him! She's crazy about him and they've talked maybe twice!" Sakura held up two fingers for emphasis.

His own fingers still clutched the pomegranate like a drowning man holds a lifeline. Maybe he should let her choose, there was a chance she would stay. And it wasn't like he needed her; he had just become accustomed to her presence in his life. There was a silence as Sakura looked at him thoughtfully.

"Is that a pomegranate?" she chirped perkily. Sasuke was taken unawares.

"Aa..."

"Ooh I love pomegranate! Here give it to me, I'll go cut it for us!" She exclaimed and plucked it from his hand, nimbly skipping down the stairs to the kitchen. He stared numbly after her. That was...unexpected. Sakura walked back into the doorway of their room.

"You do want some...right?" She asked uncertainly, fingering the hem of her jumper. He gazed into her jade eyes. This would be the time to tell her, to ask her to stay, or let her eat the tart, crimson fruit.

"No. Sakura-" there was a long pause. "...you can have all of it."

She smiled tentatively. "Thanks Sasuke-kun"

After she had left the room the younger Uchiha clenched his jaw angrily. Why couldn't he have just asked her to stay?

Sakura leaned against the bedroom door, her eyebrows furrowed in frustration. Why was it that they never talked about anything slightly uncomfortable? She had thought, for one hopeful, thrilling, electrifying moment, that Sasuke-kun was going to say something that actually conveyed to her on some level what he was thinking or maybe even feeling.

'_You know, you are pretty emotionally retarded,'_ said a voice in his head wisely that sounded suspiciously like Naruto's, _'you put your Uchiha pride ahead of everything else.' _

"Shut up," he muttered balefully eyeing the party invitation, as if it were the source of his dilemma. He snatched it up and was down the stairs in a couple long strides. Sakura was holding a bowl of pomegranate and just returning to their room, her eyes trained on the bowl.

"Ack! Sasuke-kun!" she shrieked as she bumped into his chest.

A few pomegranate seeds fell onto the floor from the impact. As she glared up at him he was suddenly made aware of their proximity, and the way he towered over her. Sakura could feel her pulse accelerating, the blood rushing through her veins and arteries. Her heart fluttered as she felt his warm breath stir her hair and cause goosebumps to creep up her arms. Her eyes were trained on someplace right above Sasuke's left ear, but as the silence dragged on they slowly slid to his face and locked onto his intense obsidian gaze. She swallowed, and Sakura swore she could hear it echoing. He waved something in front of her face, upon taking a closer look; she recognized it as the invitation to her party.

"Sakura I think you should-" No. He couldn't do it. Sasuke Uchiha couldn't say that last four-lettered word to the petite woman in front of him with ridiculous pink hair.

She raised her eyebrows, waiting for him to continue. Unable to face her expectant malachite gaze he stared instead at her nose, scrunched up in confusion. An idea came to him just as Sakura opened her mouth to demand what he wanted.

"Spit it out, Sasuke-kun!"

"Sakura who told you that you could leave?"

He winced inwardly at how his words sounded now that he had said them. It just sounded so much better inside his head. She narrowed her green eyes.

"Oh, so now I have to ask you for permission?"

He rolled his eyes.

"No, that's not what I meant," he said in a bored voice. Sakura flushed angrily.

"Well maybe I will leave, then!" She spooned some pomegranate into her mouth and chewed fiercely for a few seconds- Sasuke froze. After swallowing she realized Sasuke was even more still than normal, "...and it was Itachi-san that told that I could leave if I wanted to," she muttered crossly before pushing past him and heading upstairs to their bedroom.

Sasuke turned his head slightly to watch her disappear through the black door. So it had been Itachi who had gotten him into this mess. Somehow that didn't shock him. He shrugged on the black jacket, with the Uchiha crest on the back, he favored, for nostalgia's sake.

* * *

><p>"I need to talk to Zeus," he told an irritated blue-haired woman.<p>

She huffed and wordlessly motioned for him to follow her into the house. He slouched languidly in the living room, choosing not to sit on the plush blue chair. When Itachi walked down the stairs to meet his unexpected visitor, his eyes met Sasuke's for a brief second. His sharp mind put together the pieces of the puzzle and a knowing look crossed his face.

"Aniki. How unexpected," he kept his tone polite and pleasant, though he knew it would irritate his easily annoyed brother.

Sasuke scowled at him, as predicted. "I don't think you sound surprised at all. You shouldn't be, as you're the one who advised _my _wife to _leave _this world!"

"Sasuke you make it seem like I told her to die," Itachi said amusedly.

"As good as!" His brother proclaimed hotly, "You know the consequences. She'd forget everything; she'll never see us again!"

Itachi sat gracefully on the arm of the blue chair, staring at Sasuke analytically. "You mean, '_You'll_ never see her again?' Tell me, do you have feelings for this girl? Because it sounds like it to me," he smirked as Sasuke seethed.

"What's it to you?"

"I'm your brother."

"Yeah?" Sasuke sneered, then ran a hand through his hair; sneer replaced by a different expression.

"She ate the pomegranate," he said softly.

"She what?" Itachi was taken off-guard.

"She ate the pomegranate!" Sasuke shouted. His words ricocheted off the marble that surrounded them. Itachi stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"Then you have no problem. She can't leave you," he said slowly, "but...she might hate you for it." Itachi smiled humourlessly and Sasuke looked distinctly unsettled. He turned around to leave.

"Zeus punishes liars, Hades. Even my own flesh and blood will pay," Itachi said seriously.

Sasuke pushed the doors open and left without a backwards glance. Itachi sighed and passed a hand over his face tiredly, as the sound of his brother's footsteps on the marble slowly faded into silence.

He would tell her after the party, he promised himself. Now he couldn't care less whether she chose to stay or leave, either way she would hate him with a fiery passion when she found out she hadn't had a choice to begin with. He was absolutely sure of her reaction, judging by the way she reacted this morning to him insinuating that he would restrict her actions, which was a ridiculous idea anyways.

He rolled over in bed restlessly. It was hard enough for him to fall asleep as things were, but with the added guilt roiling in his stomach, he knew it would be nearly impossible tonight. He stretched out his arm across the pillows, Sakura being far enough away that he didn't have to worry about touching her accidentally. However Sakura stirred at the movement and rolled over, using his arm as a pillow and casually throwing her leg over his. Sasuke froze at the full-on skin to skin contact.

He tried to concentrate on something else, and decided to scrutinize her face, which, due to their proximity, was quite easy. He stared at the way her thick lashes fluttered almost imperceptibly and how she had a nearly invisible scar along her right cheek. How her lips quivered slightly, as if she were dreaming about talking, and how her sleep-tousled hair felt so soft against his arm. Slowly but surely, Sasuke fell asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>"We only love that which we do not wholly possess" - Marcel Proust <strong>

**A/N: Thank you so so so so so x 10000 much to my awesome BETA Naiya12 for putting up with my decidedly sub-par writing for this chapter! (and putting up with me bothering her about it hehe) Review PLEASE! I'm feeling decidedly insecure for someone coming back to this story after a four motnth break... :P **


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